


Midnight

by singeramg



Category: Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Man of Steel (2013), Superman - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Childhood Trauma, Drama, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Henry Cavill is tagged because his face is what I imagine, Rough Sex, Smut, frustrated Clark kent, more tags will be added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-28
Updated: 2020-08-03
Packaged: 2021-02-27 11:14:00
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 22
Words: 71,064
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22456282
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/singeramg/pseuds/singeramg
Summary: When Gia, a Metahuman by force, left Metropolis, she vowed to never come back because nothing was there for her anymore. Secret in tow, she’s stayed out of the way of anyone that could destroy the life she’s built for herself. What happens when the Justice League needs her help reviving the one man she vowed to never see in the flesh again?
Relationships: Clark Kent/Lois Lane, Clark Kent/Original Female Character(s), Henry Cavill/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 57
Kudos: 119





	1. The beginning

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Hey everyone! This is my first time writing anything in DCMCU. I just had this plot bunny that wouldn’t go away. So if anything is wrong or off then idk what to tell you. As far as I know my character and her powers are original. Anywho, I hope you like this, please give me some feedback and let me know if you want more!

Midnight: Chapter 1

I had taken more hits than I had been used to in my short time as a superhero, I could feel the fist coming toward me and ducked resulting in my attacker hitting his no-good buddy in the face. The sound of his nose breaking gave me furthermore proof of the force behind his punch. I used the distraction to kick the legs out from under the bald attacker while his friend grabbed his nose in pain. Another ran toward me, attempting to charge me, but I was quicker. Using my built up kinetic energy from taking various hits I expelled it from my body, sending all three attackers into the ally’s dirty brick wall, leaving them all unconscious.

I huffed, finally letting the exhaustion out in deep breaths. The woman I had saved from an attack was also unconscious, having passed out due to her presumed injuries, but I was grateful that she was safe. It had been at least 4 years since I fought like that, and I was a long way from Metropolis. I conjured my bag from whatever dimension I stored it in when I heard the woman in distress, pulling out my cell phone, in my best worried and distraught voice I begged the police to hurry, there had been an attack but the men responsible were being held. With an unnatural leap, I landed on the fire escape above and then climbed up just enough to see but not be seen, adding a force-field to protect the young woman from harm, should the robbers wake up before she did.

The cops arrived fairly quickly and arrested the criminals, and leaving me relaxed as I ran and jumped across the building tops, until I landed on the roof of my shoddy but livable building. Scaling down, I waved my hand over my body, skin tight black and gray suit disappearing and matching face mask along with it , leaving distressed, dark washed jeans, and black sleeveless crop top. The high ponytail and makeup never left my face so I looked like I had just come home from working one of my jobs at the local bar. It was exactly what I had been doing before I head the noises that lead to my intervention.

Soreness from that level of exertion had begun to set in as I climbed the steps to my fourth floor apartment. I opened the door, a small smile on my face as my neighbor, a friendly, and gentle woman in her 70s slept in my dark grey recliner (never mind I had gotten it just for her sake.) the TV replaying the news, despite it being so late. 

_ “Ms. Alphonse, I am home.” _

I said gently shaking her, she jumped slightly and smiled once she realized who had been shaking her.

_ “Oh goodness me, Tiffany you scare me every time you do that, how in the world are you so quiet?” _

I chuckled, tossing my purse on the nearby couch.

_ “Guess I’m just good at it. How did tonight go? _ ” I asked her, picking up the leftover plates off of my kitchen table in the small space. She stood and stretched, a small yawn followed, as she began to look for her keys.

_ “As always, a little angel. Gave me a little push back about dinner, but still well behaved.” _

I nodded and smiled.

_ “Good, did you leave your shopping list for me? I’ll be headed out tomorrow to do the weekly run.” _

She moved to her purse and hands me a wad of cash and a piece of paper. I quickly try and hand the money back.

_ “Now, Ms. A. You know this is too much! Plus I owe you for the week anyway.” _

_ “I told you as long as I’m breathing your money's no good with me. Plus me and the youngster are going to need some snacks for our movie night next weekend.” _

I laughed, sticking her list and the money in my purse. 

_ “Fine, but please let me know if you need anything else this week from anywhere and I’ll be sure to get it for you.” _

_ “I am just grateful I don’t have to climb the steps with these knees being the way they are with bags of groceries. You are a godsend child.” _

She touches my face, it’s still a little sore from a blow I took earlier, but I do my best not to let it show. Somehow she knows it there, and her caress, dark and withered against the caramel of my skin is cooling and comforting. Reminding me of a comfort long since lost to me. 

_ “Sweetheart, you be careful out there.” _

I knew she had no way of knowing about my long since abandoned- recently-revived for one night alter-ego but somehow I felt she knew something was amiss. She didn’t push me however and left it at that.

_ “Always Ms. A.” _

_ “Good. Now I’m going to go rest in my own bed. That chair is lovely but I need to stretch out.” _

I laughed at the dramatic way she cracked her back and walked her to the front door, then watched her walk down the hall to her door, making sure she got in and locked the door behind her , before I did the same. 

I sighed, resolving to do the dishes in the morning, I took my hair down, and walked to the back of my apartment. Stopping at a semi-closed door, gently pushing it open with my hand.

My heart always clenched looking at this little human. I could feel the energy of his heart beat pulsing as he rested so peacefully, not having any cares in the world. At peace knowing his mom would protect him from anything set out in the world to hurt him. 

At least the best I could. I would do anything to protect him, even if that meant taking him away and hiding him. I left Metropolis before he had been born, vowing that no one would hurt my child in the ways I’d been hurt, no one would come after him because of his parentage, because no one knew he existed outside of being the son of a exhausted- young single mother named Tiffany March. He was Kyle March and would stay that way for as long as I was alive. 

I hung up my alter-ego Midnight, a long time ago.

Nobody would know that Kyle March and Tiffany March were not our real names at all.

No one would know that Kyle was not fully human. 

No one would know that Kyle was now the last child of Krypton due to the death of his father.

**No one could ever know that he was the Son of Superman...**


	2. Fighting the unknown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gia finds herself in the middle of a fight she had no clue she would be in...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Here is part 2 of the story. I think this is going to have a slow build as I want to make sure this goes correctly. Personally i’m excited for where I see this going!

I felt Kyle running into my room before he actually came in, giving me time to prepare for the impact as he jumped on me, still managing to take my breath away with his natural density.

_“Momma! It’s morning and you here!”_

I smiled at him kissing his cheek, watching as his eyes changed from the natural blue they were, to brown like mine. 

My son was special, it was the reason I worked odd and late jobs. He couldn’t go to regular daycare because he wasn’t in control of his powers yet. 

He was born with various abilities due to his parentage, of course he was stronger than the average three year old being that he had the strength of a 12 year old. He often told me noises bothered him, which led me to believe he was developing his super hearing, but the big power was his ability to change his appearance. It was mostly just the small features for now, and it was mostly unconscious on his part. For example, he would change his eyes to match mine, and throughout the day they would change, and he also liked to play with his hair. Naturally it was black like Clarks’ but his hair had curls. Often times I would come in and my son would have long hair or it would be blonde or brown. Sometimes even Blue!

And honestly he looked like Clark with a tan. Needless to say I had to keep him home until he could gain some control. I didn’t want to have to move… again.

Ms. A was the only one that knew about Kyle’s abilities. When she asked I told her, that his father was an old boyfriend who had nothing to do with him and that I thought he must have had some metahuman blood that he never told me about. 

She had no clue I was also now a Metahuman. 

Kyle flopped off of me and onto my bed, still in his race car pjs and messy bed hair. He hadn’t changed that yet and I was glad to see it. 

_“Good morning Kalen, what has mommy told you about jumping on her?”_

He giggles and says

_“I have to be careful because mommy might get hurt. I don’t think I could hurt you mommy. I love you too much.”_

He turned the puppy dog eyes on me in an attempt to not get in trouble for something he knew better than to do. 

_“Yeah sure young man. You know better that’s why you are trying me with that face. Did you brush your teeth and wash your face?”_

He shook his head no.

“ _Alright, well what are waiting for? No breakfast for my little monster until you do.”_

He laughed and took off for the bathroom. I swore he got faster everyday.

‘Kyle’ was his name to the public but his real name was in direct tribute to his father, his name being Kalen Joseph (pronounced Colin) having the name Kal being spelled in his name and Joseph from Clarks actual middle name. I got out my bed, changing quickly into some jean shorts and a tank and going into the bathroom with my son, finding him about to get his toothpaste all over the sink. I took it from him and put a little on the toothbrush and let him take over, brushing my teeth and once I finished he followed me into the living room. I waved my hand, lazily at the TV, turning it on. I was about to change the channel when the reporter began to talk about the rescue I had pulled off last night.

> _**“In other news, last night, a local woman, described her rescuer as her ‘guardian angel’. The local police describe the scene as confusing but thankfully non-fatal. A vigilante stopped a rather vicious robbery and assault, taking down three attackers and leaving them unconscious for the police. While the police are grateful for the intervention they have questions for this person, and ask if anyone has any information on this masked vigilante then please reach out to crime-stoppers tip line”** _

The reporter says the number as a shadowy, low quality security camera shot of me appears on screen. I was comforted in that I knew no one would know me. I waved my hand again, changing the television to some random cartoons and proceeded to make some breakfast for us both.

##  ***Later***

I dressed Kalen in a pair of jeans, sneakers and a cute red t-shirt, along with a small hat. The hat served as a dual purpose for if he decided to change his hair on me in public. I grabbed my purse and his little tablet that he could use in the shopping cart to keep him occupied. 

Once in the store, I pulled out my list and Ms. Alphonse’s list. Chuckling at her circled selection of Twizzlers and jellybeans. The woman lived her life on sweets, I would swear it. I strolled through the store, adding things to my cart, when Kalen started crying.

_“Momma it loud.”_

I watched as his eyes flickered in various colors and he held his hands to his ears. The lights began to flicker in the store followed by a loud boom. 

The store shook as people began yelling and screaming. I yanked Kalen from the cart into my arms, looking for the safest place for us to be. I couldn’t use my powers in public, at least not without my mask and I couldn’t form my suit without exposing myself. I wouldn’t risk my child. I ran for the exit, not caring if I was slightly faster than the rest. Pieces of the ceiling falling as the ground still trembled. I ran into the employee only section of the store, moving until we left out the back door. Kalen was still holding his ears as I crushed him to my chest. I looked up seeing some flying creatures, destroying people, literally feeding on them. I turned away, shielding my son and ducked into a nearby building. The old building had long since been abandoned. No energy source inside of it, I stopped in a back corner, far away from the windows. 

I rocked Kalen in my arms, doing my best to send him calming energy, but all the stimulation wasn’t helping. Sitting on the floor, I brushed his curls back soothing him. I was working until I heard crashing into the doors, this just caused him to cry more. I focused and changed into battle wear, just as the door flew open and the creatures came in. I sat Kalen on the floor and tossed up a force field around him. 

The creatures took me in my protective stance as a challenge and the all came at me. I focused on getting them off of me. Their eyes were red and they could fly, all of them looking to take me out. I fought them as long as I could and once again the hits had built up enough kinetic energy to blast them through the front door. I followed them out, forming a blade of energy that I held like a sword. Slicing and dicing all of these demonic creatures, until suddenly they looked toward the sky, disappearing as quickly as it seemed they had come. 

I cancelled my sword once I ascertained the danger was gone. I wasted no time going back into the building to my child who was whimpering behind the shield I put up. I changed my appearance again, back to what he was familiar with, letting the field down, he wasted no time running into my arms, sobbing, his little hands grabbing at my skin and holding on tightly. 

_“Come on baby, let’s go home.”_

_***Home*** _

I shielded Kalen’s eyes the entire way home, until I felt him relax against my shoulder, his breathing evening out. Once inside the building I stopped at Ms. Alphonse’s apartment, knocking and she opened the door quickly, pulling us into a hug. I looked behind her, as I hugged her back one handed. The news displayed the attack as breaking news also connecting it to similar attacks in Gotham and other neighboring cities. 

_“I was so worried about you two. The store was dead center of where the attack was.”_

I came inside, pushing the door closed, and sitting Kyle down on the reddish brown couch. Carefully not to wake him up, I let him go and sat down next to him. Letting my relief coming through in a sigh, my body sagging into her couch.

_“I was terrified. We hid from those things until they left.”_

_“I am just glad you are okay.”_

She goes into the kitchen, I hear her rattling around, making coffee. The news channel changed gears, still covering the attack but this time grainy video appears on the screen. I quickly make note that it’s me fighting in disguise. Thankfully, it cuts off mid-fight, the camera seemingly destroyed. The anchors all asking 

> _**“Who is this woman?”** _

I dropped my head in my hands, frustrated and scared that I would have to leave. Ms. Alphonse came around the corner, handing me a cup of tea.

_“Kyle looks like he’s out for the night.”_

_“It was a lot for him. The creatures were attacking, and with him being sensitive to sounds and stimulation. He was terrified. I was worried I wouldn’t be able to protect him.”_

_“I think you did everything you possibly could to get him home safe.”_

Ms. Alphonse and I talked for awhile, watching the news coverage, before I gathered up Kalen and took him home. I tucked him into his own bed with a kiss to the forehead and a partially closed door, I managed a hot shower and some wound care from the various scrapes and cuts I took from fighting. Just as I finished, I felt someone approaching my apartment. My defenses raised as they knocked, an invisible barrier that only I could pass through went up. I looked through the peephole, surprised to see who was on the other side. Just knowing my eyes were deceiving me I opened the door and asked.

_**“What in the hell is Bruce Wayne doing at my front door?”** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/n: As always I appreciate any support this gets. I love seeing likes and comments. Makes my day honestly. Hell, maybe I will post the next chapter tonight???


	3. Bruce Wayne makes an appearance...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bruce Wayne shows up on the doorstep of Gia for a very important ask...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am back! I wanted to post this yesterday, but life got away from me and it just didn’t happen! This chapter has a bit more exposition as we start to get into the story, might be a little boring for some, but as much as I hate it, we must establish a plot people! Anywho, I hope you enjoy this chapter and know I plan on posting chapter 4 soon!

I was thoroughly confused as to why a man worth more money than I could ever count would be standing at my front door, dressed impeccably as he always looked in every photo I’d seen of him.

 _“What in the hell is Bruce Wayne doing at my front door?”_ I said to the man himself with an eyebrow arched.

_“I am sorry to bother you. Especially in this late hour, Ms….March. Am I correct?”_

Suspiciously, I opened the door wider, staring at him.

_“Yes, but how do you know my name?”_

_“You would be surprised what I know. May I come in?” H_ e asks with a flourish of his hand.

_“No. You might be a famous face, but I don’t know you from a can of paint. The hell I look like letting you in my house?”_

I was ready to zap him with enough energy to make him forget who he was for a solid 24 hours, but that came with other consequences.

“ _You may not know me, but I know you Gia or should I say Midnight.”_

Hackles up, my arm shot up, a red sword blade of energy forms taking place against his neck, not close enough to burn him, but close enough I knew he could feel the heat. Bruce turned his head, his chin jutting upwards, clearly not trying to make sudden movements. He speaks, quickly however.

_“I promise I am not here to hurt you. I am here because I need your help.”_

We stared at each other for a moment, I read his energy, the emotions swarming with him, beneath the stoic facade he put out. None of the emotions were harmful to me so I cancelled the blade and my force field, stepping out the way so her could enter.

 _“I am only letting you in because you reek of nervous energy and I want to hear about how you found me before I kick your ass out of here.”_ I waved to an empty chair as Bruce followed me into the kitchen. I put water in the kettle, clicking on the stove-top.

 _“Do you want something to drink? I think I’ve got some tequila for all that repressed shit you are carrying around.”_ I joked, pouring a shot I’d knew I’d need to survive this talk. 

_“Actually, yes.”_

I chuckled and poured one for him, leaving the bottle in the middle of the table and reaching up for a pack of Oreo’s I saved for stressing moments like this. I sat down opening the pack, sliding the tray, and picking a cookie, pushing it toward Bruce, who surprised me by taking a cookie for himself. I waited until he finished chewing, waiting for him to make some move.

_“So you wanna talk or what?”_

_“You are a hard one to find. I’ve been looking for you for years.”_

_“That means I did exactly what I wanted to do.”_

_“And that’s was?”_ He questioned me, with a smirk.

_“Disappear. What brings you to my doorstep?”_

_“Midnight.”_

_“Is someone I gave up a long time ago.”_

_“Didn’t look that way earlier today.”_

I sighed looking toward the hallway to the bedrooms thinking of my son.

_“That was a life or death situation.”_

_“You think I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for life or death?”_

_“I don’t know Mr. Wayne you still haven’t told me why your here.”_

_“I am here because the things that attacked you are searching for a powerful artifact. One of three that will bring about the end of the universe if wielded by Steppenwolf. He has two of them already.”_

_“So should I be preparing for the end of the world?”_

_“Not if I can help it, I’ve got a team and I need you on it.”_

_“Where is the third box?”_

_“We have it. We are going to use it for a very special mission. The energy inside the box is powerful. Some of the others are against my idea, you however my fail-safe.”_

_“That’s the first time I’ve been called that, a fail-safe.”_

He pours another shot, tosses it back and looks me in the eyes.

_“Today was not the first time you’ve come up on my radar.”_

I tilted my head to the side in question.

_“You came up 5 years ago beside Superman as the world knows him, but you know him as Clark Kent.”_

My chest rang as my heart dropped at the name. I jumped as the whistle sounded on the kettle. I got up, turned it off, and made a cup of tea. 

_“You really did your research to dig that far into his life to find me.”_

_“You were never that far. I looked into you because I found it intriguing that Superman needed help.”_

_“Clark never needed me.”_ I said, not letting on my double meaning. 

_**“He will.”** _

I looked up quickly from my cup. 

_“You can’t help the dead Bruce.”_ I felt a surge of guilt from him, now I was confused, why would he feel guilty?

_“The energy housed inside of the change box, I think it will be enough to revive Clark. The others are worried that Clark will wake up, will not be the same one that went down.”_

My heart was racing, my palms were sweaty, anxiety building at the thought of Clark rising again. 

_“Still haven’t answered my question. Why do you need me? The box has enough energy.”_

_“You have enough energy to contain him if need be. Your powers will be enough to put him down if he goes on a rampage.”_

_“Not if he kills me before I can.”_

Bruce laughs at me, reaching into his pocket. 

_“I think he’s more likely to kill me first.”_

He slid his hand down on the table. Leaving an object in the middle. I came closer, my eyes widening as I made out the sharp edge symbol on my kitchen table. Rage filled my features, the next thing I know he was against the wall, my power holding him there, grasping at an invisible force on his neck.

_“You are Fucking Batman! You tried to kill him!”_

_“I was wrong!”_

He managed to yell, I dropped him to the floor. He gasped, as I threw up a field between him and my son. I didn’t know what he knew about Clark and I, and I certainly didn’t know if he saw my son as a threat, just like he had of his father. Did he even know about Kalen?

Bruce landed on his knees as he coughed, trying to catch his breath. I felt nothing but guilt pouring from him, I relaxed enough to let him get up.

_“I’ll ask you again Bruce. Why are you here?”_

_“I was being honest. You are powerful. The only one he trusted to fight beside him.”_

_“I just handled the riff-raff. Saved the innocent people when I could.I would hardly qualify that as powerful.”_

_“He trusted you to do that. I saw plenty in the footage I obtained of you in action. That power you possess is enough to stop him if needed. Will you help us, we need to try this and we can’t save the world without him.”_

I twittered my fingers unsure of what I would say.

_“Yes, and I would like to go on the record saying Clark is probably going to beat your ass on sight. When does this possible resurrection go down?”_

He smiles but answers,

_“The sooner the better.”_

_“I’ve got rules, non negotiable ones.”_

Bruce didn’t look phased in the slightest, maintaining eye contact.

_“I am only coming to oversee this, to make sure he wakes up as him. That’s it. I leave right after, in fact, you lose my number and address, Clark has no clue about my involvement. Last thing, is I do not leave before my son wakes up in the morning. After his day, he will not wake up without his mother beside him.”_

I knew that despite my feelings about Clark, at the end of the day he had saved me at a time when I had no one. No matter what we went through I owed him to save him. He gave me a life I couldn’t live without. 

My son

_**Whether he knew it or not…** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Thank you for your support of all of my writings… next chapter up soon and don’t worry Clark is coming…


	4. The introduction of Clark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gia reluctantly brings Clark back to life...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/n: I bet you thought I was going to make you wait. Honestly I couldn’t apparently I have the patience of a Gnat. I hate waiting and seeing as i’m ready for Clark to show up here it is. I will say this mostly follows Justice League, but of course with the addition of my OFC. As always you guys are awesome!

##  _***Flashback *** _

##  _**Just about 4 years ago...** _

_I could hear people screaming, I was moving as fast as I could._

_Buildings and cars burned as people ran away screaming, crying as their lives crumbled in front of their eyes. I was doing my best to try and save the innocent people all needing my help. Lex Luther had created a monster. Wonder Woman, Batman, and Superman were all fighting. It would make no sense for me to go up there yet, not when so many lives are held in the balance, not when Clark basically forbade me to go._

_I was helping the last of the families in a 6 story building get out, when the energy in the atmosphere changed. More specifically, Clark’s energy had shifted. He normally radiated an enormous amount of power that I could feel from anywhere in the state, and it made my powers increase by proxy, but something was wrong, it was going down, and I could feel my own power decreasing._

_I took off, pushing myself to the limit, leaping from building to building trying to get to him. I landed on the building across the street just as Clark flew himself into the monster, pushing some sort of spear into himself. The glowing green tip clearly infected with the one type of element that would weaken him. I cried out feeling his energy fade as Batman and Lois surrounded him._

_I pushed as much of the energy I could, but it did no good. I was getting ready to jump to the next building, but when I felt his energy die out, it was pointless._

_I screamed in agony, the windows nearby shattering in distress, Batman took a look around at my voice, but wasted no time taking off, Woman in tow, leaving Lois to cry over Clark’s body. I leaped, landing on the roof. Lois looked at me, tears running down her face. I knew I had to look similar. I dropped to my knees next to him. Grasping his hand, pushing energy again, but it was not returned._

_**He was gone.** _

_The realization just allowed for new flood or tears as I dropped my head to his still chest for the man I considered a friend. I cried for what we could have been. Openly sobbing for Clark leaving this world thinking I hated him. I was weeping for the loss of Clark Kent, the man I had fallen in love with despite knowing he would never love me back…_

##  _*End Flashback*_

I wiped a few stray tears that had fallen down my cheek as I remembered the night Clark had passed. He never had any clue I was pregnant and neither did I. I had no clue that my son would also lose the opportunity to know how great his father was. If I were being honest with myself I didn’t know if I would have told him. If this plan of Bruce Wayne’s worked, and Clark didn’t come back as a shadow of himself, I still wanted to stay far away. I had been doing a great job of raising Kalen by myself. I wouldn’t run the risk of Superman deciding I wasn’t worthy and taking my son. 

No I wouldn’t tell him. I couldn’t…

Bruce agreed to let me come back to meet the team to revive Clark tomorrow, but only after Kalen woke up. Ms. Alphonse was more than okay with watching Kalen for me and while I didn’t tell her where I was going she understood. I didn’t expect to be gone more than a day at worst. I made Kalen breakfast, and when he woke up he seemed to feel much better.

_“Mommy I’m hungry!”_ He says excitedly. 

He is strong enough to get himself into the kitchen chair, where I sat his paw patrol place mat and eventually the matching plate with his food on it. I let him get about halfway done, before he got too full and fidgety to listen.

_“Alright baby so when you are done eating I’m going to take you over to Ms. A’s house. Mama has to go away overnight, so you get to have a fun sleepover with her okay.”_

Tears welled up in his eyes as the fork clanged on the plastic plate.

_“I wanna go, Plwease??”_

_“You can’t come with mommy this time, but I promise when I get back tomorrow we will have a fun day together, just you and me.”_

He begins to cry harder and I pull him into my arms. Even at three he was getting to big for me to hold, but I would hold him until I couldn’t anymore. 

_“I think Ms. A is gonna be really sad if you don’t go with her. I need you to be a big boy for me. Help protect her for me please?”_

I said wiping tears off of his face he sniffs into my neck, and I grab a paper towel wiping his nose. 

He finally calms down enough for me to get him dressed and down the hall. I left my extra key with Ms. Alphonse. Dressed in a pair of jeans, a dark blue half shirt and black leather jacket with matching rider boots. My hair sat in a messy bun on the top of my head so I couldn’t have to bother with it if I needed to shift my outfit. I leaned down to his height, kissing his cheeks and hugging him, tickling him around his sides and stomach, making him laugh in glee. 

_“Kalen Joseph Smith I love you very much. You be good for Ms. A and if I get a good report I will take you for some ice cream when I get home.”_ Excited he began jumping around.

 _“Kalen be good and strong and brave.”_ He says to me in a small voice.

I didn’t want to leave him even if I would only be gone that day. 

_“Mommy loves you. Gimme a hug!”_

He jumps into my arms with the biggest hug he could manage.

I said my goodbyes and looked at my phone where Bruce texted me that he had sent a car for me and it was waiting downstairs…

***Later***

Man as if I wasn’t already in pain from leaving my son, I was about to lose my shit. I had serious reservations about this rag tag team Bruce Wayne put together. They could hate me and if things went south with Clark then I would be the next target, by affiliation. I sighed, and sat back as the driver navigated various turns until I found myself back in Metropolis. I was guided to Star Labs, a place I knew did phenomenal work in various fields. If life had planned out differently for me then I could have fancied myself as a scientist or something, but it was not in the cards for me. I came into the large chamber not truly prepared by the on-slot of eyes on me also that everyone would be in uniform. I waved my hand, my outfit melting into my suit and mask.

 _“Bruce, who is this?”_ Asked Wonder Woman and everyone else was on the defensive ready to attack me. I rolled my eyes, then used them to glare at the man in the bat suit.

_“Damn it Bruce. If you are going to call a girl in at least make sure you tell folks. I prefer not to have my ass handed to me by Wonder Woman.”_

I smiled at her and she seemed to relax some. Bruce came over to stand next to me handing me a comm, and watched me as I put it in.

_“She is here for backup only. A little insurance for those of us that are skeptical about Clark’s return to the world. This is Midnight.”_

I smiled at everyone, and took a seat on some nearby steps of the craft, leaning back on the steps behind me. I had a shield up already if any of them tried anything. 

_“You seem really relaxed for the situation we are in.”_ Said a young boy in a red suit, clearly unsure of me, but not willing to go against the grain. He had a lot of nervous energy and as for everyone else it was much of the same and Aquaman had only relaxed a fraction since I showed up. He was very powerful as well. I shrugged in a nonchalant way which annoyed Aquaman and amused the half Cyborg and The Red-suit. 

_“I am only here to make sure he doesn’t kill anyone. More specifically, any of you. He wakes up and I’m gone like I was never here.”_

 _“Let’s get this show on the road.”_ Bruce says and the team seems to get on board. They explain the plan as it’s modified to where the boy in the suit says he can generate enough energy to start the machine. The plan went into action and I shifted the light fields around me to become invisible. A skill I picked up after Clark’s death. Honestly I thought it was a subconscious way to disappear because I wanted so badly to do so. Now it was a valuable defensive skill.

As the cube touches the water, time seems to slow down for me but in reality it doesn’t. Seconds later Clark shoots out of the water, busting a hole through the alien spacecraft. The sudden return of his energy to my immediate vicinity caught me completely off guard. It had been a long time since I felt energy like this course though me. I dropped to my knees, coughing a fit, trying to adjust was painful. Batman came over to me, knowing where I was due to the heat signature in his mask.

_“Are you okay Midnight?”_

_“I am ***cough*** fine. Clark just has an enormous amount of energy. I will be fine in a few moments, just go make sure he is okay. I’ll join you guys soon.”_

We heard the sounds of a fight starting above and Batman left me. I coughed again and scrambled to my feet. A quick scan told me Clark’s energy was all over the place and he was confused. I knew it would not turn out good for anyone the longer I stayed down. I leaped out the same hole Clark had created with my newfound energy, and if I were being honest with myself it was like breathing again. Actually with all of them in the same area as me, I had never felt more powerful. 

I landed just as Clark hovered over Wonder Woman, ready to actually hurt her. I tossed up a shield just as Batman appeared.

 _“I know you.”_ Clark says leaving from in front of her to fly to Bruce before I could toss a shield. He had him lifted in the air by his face after kicking his ass. 

_“You won’t let me live, you won’t let me die.”_

He growls and I could feel Bruce panicking although he wouldn’t outwardly admit it. I tried to formulate a shield between the two of them. It would be the equivalent of standing between them and pushing at Clark’s chest. 

It got Clark’s attention but not in the way I wanted. He tossed Batman like a rag doll, I tossed some sort of shield his way to soften the blow of the ground, but because it was so hasty I was sure I would hurt. Meanwhile I had no time to prepare myself for Clark slamming into me, then reach up and grab me by the neck. 

_“I may not be able to see you, but it won’t stop me from killing you.”_

He growled in my face and I grasped at my neck, trying to pull him off of me. I could have blasted him back, I was strong enough to do that, but that would hurt him, maybe even irreparably. I couldn’t hurt this man even if I tried.

_“Clark Please Don’t.”_

I choked out and recognition in his eyes as The Clark we all knew returned and I could feel my visibility returning as my oxygen levels depleted.

_“CLARK!”_

We both heard and his head whipped behind him. He didn’t toss me as he had done to Batman. He sat me down gently as I coughed and he ran to Lois, it was always her. It would always be her. 

It didn’t hurt any less for him to fly away with her in his arms. 

I wiped the blood from my nosebleed caused by the choking. I shifted back into full visibility as Bruce groaned from where he landed behind me.

_“Oh something is definitely bleeding.”_

I don’t know why but that was hilarious to me and I started laughing even though it hurt my throat.

_“Yeah I told you Clark was gonna beat your ass on sight.”_

He actually laughed with me as the team came over. The joy of laughter quickly ended as a major shift of energy happened and suddenly this horned figure appeared. Taking the cube looking thing, I shot a blast of electric type energy it it’s direction but it still managed to get away.

_“Steppenwolf has the third box.”_

**_I dropped my head back on the grass in frustration…_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/n: So here is Clark… I once again I am excited about this story!


	5. The defeat of Steppenwolf

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gia helps with the fight!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nothing much to say here other than enjoy!

##  **Midnight: Chapter 5**

_“Superman is in the wind and Steppenwolf has the third box.”_

Aquaman was pissed off, tossing what I was sure to be valuable pieces of equipment around, meanwhile I was sitting with an ice pack on my head, dosed with painkillers and waiting for Bruce to pull this mess together. Better yet I was waiting on a car to pick me up and take me home. I wanted no parts of this craziness. I wanted to go home and hug my son. Protect him from all the chaos and figure out how I could convince Ms. A to come with me. 

_“And you. I thought you were here to make sure he didn’t kick our ass!” Aquaman growls at me. He is hostile but I also sensed nervousness under all of that. I turned to look at him._

_“I promised to make sure he didn’t kill you. That ass whoopin’ was self-inflicted. Batman knew that going in. Don’t be mad because you got your asses handed to you. Newsflash I did too!”_

_“She saved my life and yours too Diana. She threw force fields up between us and Clark. To the detriment of herself. She didn’t even have enough time to protect herself as evidenced by her neck. So just calm down!”_

Bruce says firmly, leaving no room for argument.

_“That being said I am going home. My job here is done.”_

I could hear my head ringing, and I really just wanted to go home and cry. There was a reason I stayed away from Metropolis. I stormed off, determined to just take a taxi to the train station. I made it to the front of Batman’s hideaway when someone ran toward me.

_“Please wait!”_

It was Diana or should I say Wonder Woman.

_“It’s obvious that I am just on the way here. I’ve got someone else that needs my protection.”_

I said in reference to my son.

_“Midnight. I know it may seem that running away is the best option but you know as well as I do that the world needs you.”_

_“Aquaman doesn’t think so.”_

_“Arthur is…he’s a little hot headed at times.”_

_“You think?”_ I said full of sarcasm, Diana just smiled at me and touched my arm.

_“I promise you his heart is in the right place. With Superman gone, we need you even more now. You won’t have anything left to protect if we can’t stop Steppenwolf.”_

_“Clearly I am not strong enough I couldn’t even handle Clark.”_

She looks at me, a knowing look behind her eyes and a smile on her face.

_“That was a strong force field you held over me and an even stronger blast of lightning you shot at Steppenwolf. Something tells me you could have handled him just fine. You just didn’t want to, just like he didn’t want to hurt you.”_

I laughed, and pointed to my neck, his fingerprints still very visible. 

_“Oh yeah sure he didn’t want to hurt me. You know besides the whole confusion, choking the shit out of me thing.”_

_“ The way he sat you down…”_ I cut her off.

_“Was because he heard Lois’s voice. It had nothing to do with me.”_

Eager to change the subject I stomped back inside.

_“Come on. We’ve got a world to save.”_

She laughs behind me as we head back inside where she leaves me to check on Bruce. I walked over to the Cyborg man I had yet to meet properly.

_“Glad you stuck around. We could use someone else to calm down the Fishboy over there.”_

I giggled and he smirked back, then went to focus on the task Batman had assigned before leaving out the door. 

_“Seeing as I have decided to stay I want to be of use. How can I help?”_

_“You can manipulate energy correct?”_

_“Among other things but basically yeah.”_

_“Do you think you can help me find these boxes-you know the change engine?”_

_“From what I can tell from having been its proximity, it radiates an enormous amount of power and energy. The amount it would put out with all three of them especially once Steppenwolf starts them up should be enough to track. I could try to sense them or boost your receptors so you can find them seeing as you share its energy.”_

He smiles at me and turns back toward one the many screens in front of him. 

_“My name is Victor by the way.”_

I touch his shoulder blade and say

_“Nice to meet you Victor. I am…Gia.”_

I didn’t know what would possess me to tell him my real name if I planned on getting away from these people as soon as possible. I focused on the task at hand, taking a few moments then began pushing energy into Victor. He seemed to seize up for a moment as he adjusted to his new power and range. The fast kid came back in the room with an arm full of snacks, sitting in a chair next to where we were standing. 

_“By the way, I am Barry but everyone calls me The Flash. Ummm… no they don’t I just wanted to sound cool. It’s Barry! Glad to meet you or should I say nice to meet you? I’m glad you’re here. Ummm. Just forget the rambling.”_

I laughed and stuck my hand out for him to take, thankfully he offers the one without Cheeto dust on it and I shake it.

_“It’s Gia. Nice to meet you Barry.”_

I called him a kid in my mind but honestly we weren’t that far apart in age.

_“Wanna chip?”_

He offers the bag and I smile taking one…

**_*Later*_ **

Victor found the boxes rather quickly, and Batman readied the jet. I took the time to call home and check in with Kalen. I tried not to cry as I heard his voice, he had no clue the danger I was walking into. I knew from the moment he was born I would walk into it a million times just to save him. I told him I loved him, wiping stray tears from my eyes in the back of the plane. I thought I was alone until I heard.

_“I take it, that was your little one?”_

A gruff yet familiar voice from behind me. I turned to find Arthur standing in the doorway. I straightened up my stance trying not to appear weak in front of the man who basically questioned my worth earlier.

_“Yes That was my son.”_

_“You left him behind to come fight with us?”_ He questions and I have to decide if I should take offense at his words, or just at face value as that gruff behavior was how he always was. 

_“I came because I have to protect him. The world is just a nice additional prize.”_

He nodded in understanding. He offers his hand and I shake it. 

_“I think we got off on the wrong foot. My name is Arthur Curry.”_

_“Gia.”_

_“So Gia you ready to kick some Alien ass?”_ I smirked.

_“Of course! It’s time to fuck some shit up.”_

_“I knew I liked you.”_

He says at my use of foul language, and leads us back to the group that was waiting…

The plan was simple as we made it to where Steppenwolf was keeping the motherboxes. Fight off the bug-like creatures, while Diana and Arthur took on Steppenwolf. Victor would work on separating the boxes so that they didn’t destroy the world as we knew it. Even when Batman decided to sacrifice himself (like an idiot I might add) I focused on destroying as many as I could.

I was using a combination of my blade and Kinetic pulses to keep them at bay and off of cyborg. Arthur and Diana were giving Steppenwolf a run for his money, but he was still stronger. Batman sent Barry off to help civilians and soon after Cyborg had his leg ripped off. While slightly grateful it could be fixed, I was pissed off and I attacked Steppenwolf with the strongest blade I could muster. He was matching me blow for blow, I was infinitely stronger as he didn’t realize I was feeding off of his energy. I would say arrogance was powerful and I could use all of what I could get. In an effort to spin around, he grabbed me before I could get away, one large hand around my neck. All he had to do was tighten his fist and I would be a gonner. I was gathering enough energy to throw him off but I didn’t know if I had that long, when the pressure was suddenly gone. 

I dropped to the ground coughing from being choked for the second time in a day. I looked up as Superman had basically torn him off of me and was beating him, tossing him to Diana and Arthur. He was in front of me a moment later, helping me to my feet. 

_**“Gia?”** _

He questioned as if he had forgotten who I was. I half expected him to.

 _“I’m fine. Let’s end this.”_ I leaped, landing from the ground up to the metal platforms that Cyborg and Batman were standing on. Superman landed next to me.

_“How can I help?”_

Victor spoke up at my request. 

_“I can use some help here.”_ I looked at him.

_“Superman can you pull boxes apart? In a few moments you will see your opening.”_

_“Any Blow back?”_

_“Some, but I think we can take it.”_

_“Good I rather like living.”_

_“You two better get clear.”_ Victor says thoughtfully. I knew I couldn’t let the world or at least this part of it be in danger if I could help it. 

_“What if the field is too big? I can contain the blow back.”_

_“Gia you are not strong enough…”_

Clark started, the concern was obvious but I honestly didn’t care what he thought I could handle. I had moved from under his wing a long time ago. 

_“Clark not now! You have no clue what I am capable of anymore! You are wasting time, I’m doing this!”_

I could feel him looking at my face but I wasn’t looking at him. I used all the rage I felt in the moment and focused it on building a shield.

_“Now!”_

Victor yells and Superman reached into the blinding light, with me tossing up the strongest shield I had, as the two Superheroes were thrown backwards against it and as predicted was strong, but I kept it contained, turning the energy back on itself and forced it back into the boxes. 

_“Oh I take that back. I want to die.”_

Clark starts rolling around on the ground. 

_“My toes hurt…”_ says Victor

 _“Children. Gia we work with actual children.”_ Diana yells up to me and we laughed, I leaned over the railing, mild relief over me. Barry came running back in, but I only had a moment to register Steppenwolf’s energy, before he grabbed him and tossed him into the nearest wall he could. 

Barry was knocked out but not dead thankfully and Arthur and Diana began fighting him again. I shot out a bolt of energy striking him in the chest and he yelled, distracted enough that Superman was able to freeze his weapon and Diana destroys it with one blow of her sword. 

His fear was palpable as he realized he had lost. I turned away as his minions turned on him, destroying him. 

_“Now that’s what the fuck I am talking about.”_

I fist pumped and breathed a sigh of relief…

_**One look from Clark in my direction and I knew my battle was far from over…** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!


	6. Meeting a End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gia and Clark have a conversation...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man i've been trying this whole week to get this chapter up. Sleep has been winning...

## Midnight: Chapter 6

We made it back to Bruce’s plane, and once inside I waved my hand, changing back into my clothes from before I met the team. I still needed a shower but it felt good to be out of the tight suit. 

_“Kinda wish I had that power! Hold that thought.”_

I watched as Barry zipped off and came back in his jeans, and old hoodie.

_“Alright I’m back. What did I miss?”_

We all laughed, I was highly amused at his energy. It was a nice change from constant brooding that Bruce did and the current intensity of Clark. 

_“Nothing, Barry, literally nothing.”_

I said with a smirk. Arthur and Diana went off to change, along with Bruce, leaving me alone with Clark.

_“Gia, are you really not going to speak with me? Pretend I’m not here?”_

I crossed my arms, trying to push how annoyed I was across to him in emotions (Empathetic powers: Another useful power from energy manipulation) . I didn’t actually speak to him.

_“I can feel how annoyed you are with me. I think it warrants a conversation.”_

I simply stared at him or should I say I glared at him. He stepped toward me, but I stepped back. I could see the hurt flash on his face.

_“Please Gia, talk to me.”_

I could feel the tears build up in my eyes as I had to deal with my own emotions as well as Clark’s. I quickly realized he was basically throwing them at me so I could feel them.

_“Clark stop it. Never thought you would stoop to emotional manipulation.”_

Big blue eyes radiated sadness, I couldn’t stare at them. I remembered nothing but pain looking at him. More like nothing but heartbreak. 

“ _It’s not manipulation if it’s what I feel.”_ He says and I know it was his truth.

 _“It is if you know I don’t want to feel it.”_ I say with a glare. 

“ _At least you are speaking with me. Gia it’s been years. It feels like yesterday to me, but years to you.”_

_“Exactly that means I’ve had years of practice without you in my life. I think I’ll go a few more.”_ Pain radiates from him again directly to me. I resist the urge to pull him into a hug like I used to. 

_“You cannot mean that, Gia I think you are being unreasonable…”_

He tries to step closer again. My temper flared, energy forming at the tips of my fingers. 

_“Unreasonable? Clark you made your choices a long time ago. I made mine too. Keep that same energy.”_

I tossed my hands up, shaking them along with my head. I needed him to stay back. 

“ _You helped bring me back. You can’t expect me to believe that you want nothing to do with me.”_

Said holding his hands out in disbelief, clearly wanting to touch me, but I wouldn’t allow it. 

“ _The only reason I’m here is because a long time ago you saved my life. I owe you that much. Now that you are back, we are square. You can go live your life exactly how you want. I can go live with mine. I hung up Midnight. I’m free of her and free of you.”_

I walked away from him with a force field up so he couldn’t follow and so I couldn’t feel any relief I knew he had to be feeling having been finally free of me. I walked past the team who had all gathered in the same wide area all witness to what I hoped was the nail in the coffin of Clark and I’s friendship. Before I made it out of the room I heard a gruff.

 _“Damn Superman. What did you do to her?”_ From Aquaman.

I slammed the door shut to the room, quickly falling back into the memory of how Clark and I had met.

##  ***Flashback***

> I was running for my life. Years for being trapped underground, jailed in a cage where I was only fed the same thing day in and day out. At 20 or at least that was how old I thought I was. I wasn’t sure anymore. I had been taken about 5 years ago.
> 
> Gia Delilah Smith. 
> 
> That was my name.
> 
> At least it was. I had been stripped of individuality a long time ago, only left as a number 578.
> 
> That’s what they called me. 
> 
> I had no one to care about my real name anyway. I was a foster child. I had been since I was 12 when my mother died. It had been sudden, quick, I wasn’t prepared and neither was she. 
> 
> I became a ward of the state, and as luck would have it I went to a group home where they had a high number of runaways. Only come to find out those children weren’t runaways. 
> 
> I became a statistic in the eyes of the law. A runaway that they couldn’t find. They never looked, I wasn’t far. The owner of the group home made his livelihood off selling his young wards to a faceless group of people determined to create their own Metahumans. Ones that they could use to commit atrocities in their name. 
> 
> I became one of the test subjects. I never let on that their experimentation was working. Hell, I never knew it was working until tonight. I felt this surge of power rush through me as they shocked me for the umpteenth time that day. I decided I had enough and a blast of power surged from me destroying all of the nearby computers in a fiery blast, the feedback of their energy making me stronger. Alarms sounded, but I just blasted through people and walls. Ignoring the smell of burning flesh and the fire crawling up the wall. I didn’t stop until I was free. I couldn’t. 
> 
> The smell of the fresh air was amazing to me. I had no clue of where I was, but I knew I would kill anyone who dared to stand in my way. The people who held me captive had somehow gotten me surrounded, and I screamed in frustration. I wouldn’t go back because I knew I would die there, especially if I had achieved what they wanted. They would take my mind next. I didn’t want to become a killing machine, that was exactly what they got me to do on the way out.
> 
> I dropped to my knees, gathering as much power as I could to impact as much damage as I could. I was going to go out in a blaze of glory. Tears running down my face, I waited until they came closer, attempting to restrain me, just as I was about to blow, a mighty force exploded landing in between me and the group of armed men. I could feel the amount of energy pouring from him. I had never felt such power and ended up in a ball. Completely scared that I was about to die from whoever this figure was. He took out the guards first, striking the ground knocking them off their feet in yells and screams, bullets ricocheting off of his body before they could touch me.
> 
> _“I will not hurt you.”_
> 
> He lifts me up as I’m still in a ball, afraid to even look at him with my heart practically beating out my chest and eyes squeezed shut. The next thing I know I hear no more screaming and gunshots, all I hear is air rushing past my ears. Sensing he was telling the truth at least for now, I latched my hands around his neck, until he landed.
> 
> Nervously, I let go as my feet touched the cold ground. Scurrying away you a nearby wall, I took the time to look at my savior, or at least that was what I hoped he was. He was tall and broad shouldered, donned in a tight blue and red suit. His cape fluttered in the slight breeze of the night. His hair was dark and his eye sharp and blue. He was far enough away from me that he was unassuming despite his obvious power. 
> 
> _“Who are you?”_ Asked nervously
> 
> _“Well I can’t tell you my name, but everyone else has taken to calling me Superman.”_
> 
> _“Superman. Hmmm… I guess I should thank you for saving me. How did you know I wasn’t the bad guy…girl…woman.”_
> 
> I was fumbling with my words and despite being fresh out of captivity, I was still clearly a woman with eyes. He was very easy on the eyes and his gentle nature was a balm to already harsh life.
> 
> _“I heard that scream. No one screams like that unless they are in pain. It seems yours may be internal rather than physical. What is your name?”_
> 
> _“It’s Gia.”_
> 
> _“Gia, is there anywhere I can take you? Do you have anything warmer to wear somewhere?_ ”
> 
> I looked down at my state of dress, I didn’t have much. A pair of grey sweats and a dirty, ratty white tank top with no shoes or bra. I knew my hair was in thick, impossible knots and nasty toward the ends. _(I didn’t realize he could see all of my emaciated skin, previous broken bones and bruising that littered my skin)_ Busy in my grief I didn’t notice the look of sadness on his face.
> 
> I looked at him with tears welling up in my eyes, remembering that I had no one. As the memories rushed by, I slid down the wall wrapping my hands around my knees, back against the brick wall of the ledge. Superman came over kneeling down in front of me as I silently cried. 
> 
> _“Easier question how did you end up with these gifts?”_
> 
> _“You mean this curse?”_ I mumbled but he heard me clearly. 
> 
> _“No. I mean gifts. I spent a good portion of my life believing I had been cursed. I had to leave that thinking behind me. My dad told me that I had to decide who I wanted to be because I would change the world. I’ve got a good feeling about you and curses don’t usually give me good feelings.”_
> 
> I looked at him and I wiped my face as he smiled down at me. 
> 
> “ _Is that one of your powers?”_ I said with a small smile.
> 
> _“Call it an extra sense if you will. Now Gia, will you allow me to take you somewhere safe, maybe you can call some family or something?”_
> 
> _“I would if I had someone to call. Honestly Superman, I just want to be safe. I would sleep under an overpass if it meant I could stay away from those people. Take me somewhere you think I would be safe. I trust you to do that much.”_
> 
> I wanted to just give up control for a moment, despite having to fight so hard to gain it back. He furrowed his thick eyebrows as if to deeply think. 
> 
> _“I am going to take you somewhere. Somewhere where I know for certain you will be safe. It has food and warmer clothing. Will you grab on for the ride?”_
> 
> He held his hand out and I stepped closer. Somehow it takes me by surprise when he lifts me into his arms, a surprisingly gentle cradle hold that held me against his chest and I tossed my hands around his neck again, much like I had when he flew me away. I yelped on takeoff, Superman gives an amused deep chuckle before flying off to his destination…

***End Flashback***

I found the empty room that I retreated to before, tossing a shield up to keep sounds inside and people out. 

**I sobbed.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So it looks like Gia wants nothing to do with Clark?   
> Yikes!   
> How long do you think that is going to last! 
> 
> I am working on the next chapter and hopefully I can get it up soon!  
> Thank you for reading and commenting! You guys rock!


	7. The Unexpected

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey world! ENJOY!

##  **Midnight: Chapter 7**

I felt the plane descending and soon I was grateful for the feeling of solid, non war torn ground underneath me. I had stopped crying a long time ago and resolved to go home on a high note. I conjured a brush and made sure my hair didn’t look like a rats nest as best I could without my coconut oil and my tried and true detangling comb. It went back into a high ponytail. I came back out of the room as the hatch to the plane opened for us to get out. 

_“Hey Gia the team is going out for a drink! Wanna come with us?”_

Barry offers and I knew he was just glad to be included. I walked over to the team, noting Clark’s absence.

_“Sorry guys but I can’t. I promised someone special ice cream and seeing as my lovely sitter hasn’t called me crying I think I’ll pass before it all goes bad. It’s been awesome to let Midnight out to play.”_

I was surprised to feel disappointment from all of them. I was touched but I knew I had to stick to my original plan, besides I didn’t know if they invited Clark to their little outing and he just zipped home to get out of his get up or not. 

_“Maybe you should let her out more often. Need more women like us in the field.”_ Diana says.

_“ Maybe. For now though. I think it’s best if I lay low. Stay safe.”_

I waved and shifted to become invisible because I wanted no one to see where I was going…

The train ride back to my apartment was long, with all the stops and whatnot it was twice as long as the chauffeured car I had to get to Metropolis. I made it home, grateful that Kalen was still down the hall because I had time to get out of my clothes and take a hot shower. All of the soreness hit me like a freight train, I quickly realized I had used muscles that hadn’t been worked out properly in a while. I laughed as I knew that if Clark knew how out of shape I was then he would have my ass in a sling. Working out would be an understatement if he thought I wasn’t prepared to defend myself. The laugh quickly turned into tears and I allowed only a few to fall before I shook my head to stop them and got out of my shower.

##  ***Flashback* -5 years ago**

> _“You will end up exhausted and defeated if that is your fighting strategy.”_
> 
> _“Excuse me mister ‘ I get my strength from the Sun’. All of us aren’t so lucky.”_
> 
> Clark looks down at me from his spot hovering over me as I laid on the grass, panting from running up the side of a mountain that Clark had flown us to. I can tell he is highly amused at the state of my pain. His gym shorts and old t-shirt looks hardly disturbed, not even sweating, and he had long since put his baseball cap in my bag for safe keeping. He had only worn it while flying to avoid detection cameras seeing his face.
> 
> _“ Hey you asked for this. I already told you if you want out to the public to help them, you need to be ready.”_
> 
> _“My powers are growing every day.”_
> 
> _“Exactly but you still need your endurance and strength.”_ He says almost exasperated, or at least as much as he could sound. 
> 
> _“You see this is on that bullshit.”_
> 
> Clark smiles at me and offers me his hand. I let him pull me up. He was used to my foul language by now. I bent down and grabbed a bottle of water from my small book bag. I was ready to come out of the blue tank top and black yoga pants. It was hot as the sun shines down on the hill we had run up together to stand on top of. 
> 
> _“Gia you know as well as I do this is necessary.”_
> 
> _“My power…”_
> 
> _“ I don't want you to rely on it. Gia please don’t fight me on this. If I take you on the field with me I need you to keep yourself safe. You’ve come too far for you to endanger your life by not being prepared. Besides who else am I going to get my free coffee from in the mornings.”_
> 
> I laughed while sitting the bottle down. 
> 
> _“I knew only kept me around for the free Coffee.”_
> 
> I was working as a barista at a local coffee shop around the corner from the Daily Planet. It had been a few months since Clark had rescued me and helped me get back on my feet. We rode into town together and he mostly always made sure I made it home again. I had been in a bad way once he saved me, but he hadn’t given up on me. Neither him or his mother had ever treated me badly. Even his girlfriend Lois had been nice to me and treated me with the dignity I felt I lost over the years. Some things still scared me, like Men walking too close, loud noises, etc.
> 
> I had gotten a job as soon as I could despite Clark and his mother Martha telling me to rest and get back on my feet. 
> 
> _“Gia I keep you around for a lot more than coffee. I hope you know that.”_
> 
> He was looking at me and I felt the breeze flow over me, a slight relief from the hot sun that didn’t affect Clark in the slightest.
> 
> _“Sure you do. You don’t have to butter me up to get me to exercise.”_
> 
> I laughed attempting to deflect the serious tone the conversation had taken but Clark didn’t let that happen. 
> 
> _“Really Gia I mean it. I think you underestimate how special you are.”_
> 
> I ignored how tight my stomach felt, my heartbeat racing. 
> 
> For the last month or so I had begun developing feelings for Clark. I didn’t want to and I was sure this was some sort of transfer of emotions where I was bonding to my rescuer. Trauma bonds or some sort shit like that. I knew he loved Lois. The special smile he reserved for her wasn’t something I wanted to ruin for them. Clark deserves someone like Lois who had her shit together. Not some clusterfuck of a person who as of a handful of months ago didn’t even really know who she was. Besides, he was my best friend I couldn’t lose him, who else would I have?
> 
> _“If I could blush Clark I would be red. Now that you are done with the pep talk let’s finish this exercising-slash- murdering the trainee thing you’ve got me doing. I think Mrs. Kent promised to make her Meatloaf again and you know how I feel about her meatloaf.”_
> 
> _“She hears you calling her Mrs. Kent instead of Martha she will have your head and there will be no Meatloaf for you. That and I will probably eat it all just to spite you.”_
> 
> He jokes and starts running away from me as I roll my eyes and go to hit his arm. Of course I can only catch him if he allows it but it’s good fun anyway.
> 
> Just like that Clark Kent was in my friend-zone again, exactly where I needed to keep him.

***End Flashback***

I pulled on black yoga pants and a black sport bra, I was about to pull my shirt over my head when I felt the energy dynamics shift in my hallway. I flicked off my bathroom light as I heard the doorknob to my front door open to someone who clearly didn’t have a key. The ordered footsteps of trained and multiple men should have been silent but weren’t to me.

I shifted to be invisible, knowing my energy was low from a long day of fighting and tears worth of little to no practice, only fine tuning of my powers. I was for damn sure not about to be taken or killed by whomever this was. Fear gripped my heart as I realized my son was only down the hall. They could have been coming for him too. I thought I had the advantage of being invisible as I rounded the hallway to the living room. I didn’t count them having heat detection goggles. The force of 15 men in my apartment alone all aimed guns directly at me. An invisible shield that would ricochet any bullets went up but I held my hands up anyway. Stray bullets put my son in danger.

_**“Property number 578. We are here to bring you back to where you belong, science has more work on you yet. Easy or hard way Ms. Smith.”** _

_“Nah I think I rather not. Tell whoever you work for to go fuck themselves.”_

_“Hard way it is then.”_

It was a quick hand motion but it was all I needed as a heads up. The guns went off loud and banging against the shield. Bouncing off and striking some of them down, the rounds ended and I wasn’t prepared for the rush of someone’s body slamming into mine. The bodily force knocked me off my feet and we crashed into a wall, or better yet we went through it. They began punching whoever was on top of me, tossing them into the darkness of my apartment. I held my hand out, the electricity flying from the nearby light socket onto my hands. I shot it out tossing a few men back. I wasn’t going to last very long even with borrowing energy from the building. I knew I had to get to my son, I could at least hold a force field for that long, maybe long enough to call for help. I blasted through the hallway, doing my best to toss up a field, but I knew it wasn’t as strong as it should have been. I felt a sharp pain in my abdomen and I yelled falling to the floor, not far from Ms. A’s door, my hand came away from my lower abdomen, blood staining it. With no time to think I tossed my hands up I held the strong field I could in front of us and the door. The lights flickering as I pulled power from the building. I was feeling faint but I couldn’t give up! I heard a growl of anger and started flying into walls and ceilings. 

_“All these men and one woman, bunch of pussies. Seems you are looking for a fight, I’m here to give it to y’all.”_

Vision hazy, I saw Arthur minus his Atlantis uniform, fighting men like there was no tomorrow. A one man army of Alantian strength, the bullets and fists do not match against him. Quicker than I could see he had gotten rid of them and was hovering over me, knowing my son was safe I dropped my shield. 

_“Bruce get Barry over here NOW!”_

_“K..Kalen. Protect Kalen”_

Arthur held one hand against my bleeding abdomen, coughing and coughing.

_“Come on Gia relax for me. Stay calm Calvary is coming. You are losing a lot of blood. Where is Kalen?”_ He asked me to look around. The soft look on his face in direct contrast with the leather and long hair.

“ _Apartment *cough* 2D *cough*”_

Tears were streaming down my face as Barry came to a screeching halt in front of me.

_“Barry can you lift her? I need to get her boy.”_

I started coughing more, wanting to yell for him to come out of the apartment but I didn’t have much of a voice. 

_“I can try. Not exactly the paragon of strength here.”_

_“Bruce has everything she needs but if we don’t stop the bleeding she doesn’t stand a chance.”_

Barry presses his ear.

_“Bruce says he’s 10 minutes out.”_

Barry leaves my side and comes back less than a second later with towels from my apartment. 

I felt him press down while Arthur goes to the Apartment I directed to him earlier, knocking. I was sure they wouldn’t open it for someone that looked like a shady looking biker. He waited a minute before he sighed and kicked it open. I heard yelling and a loud ding as apparently Ms. A hit him with something metal and kept hitting him.

_“Would you calm down your old bat?! Gia is right outside!!!!”_

_“Who is Gia?! You won’t be taking us you damn heathen!”_

_“Kalen’s mom. She’s hurt in the hallway, and would you stop hitting me with that damn pot! Clearly it’s not working.”_

I tried to laugh but only succeeded in coughing up blood a little.

_“Arthur, she is not looking so hot out here.”_

Ms. A’s head came around the door-frame, Kalen on her hip as his face was all red and covered with tears. 

_“Oh my god Tiffany!!!!”_ She came over to me, careful not to put her weight on me and not let Kalen do it either although he was screaming for me. 

_“Don’t let him see me like this. Get them out of here…”_

I said with a raspy voice. Thankfully Bruce came down the hall, Diana in tow they heard my request.

_“I know you do not know us, but I promise we are here to help her. We will take you somewhere safe. Trust us.”_

Ms. A gave my hand one last squeeze and let herself be led out by Diana. Bruce came hovering over me.

_“Gia I need you to stay conscious.”_

My side felt like it was on fire and I was confused as to how he knew I was sleepy.

_“Save Kalen.”_

I was drifting out into even more confusion, but Bruce slaps me back into wakefulness.

_“We’ve got to get the bullet out. Barry and Arthur you are going to have to hold her still.”_

He pulls out tools, I scream as they pierce the open wound in search of the bullet that was apparently still lodged in it.

_“Aghhhh!!!”_

The scream caused several residents to open their doors in even more concern than the gunshots.

 _“That was loud.”_ Barry says

 _“That was just the tip of the iceberg. Last time I heard her yell, she shattered windows.”_ Bruce said.

_“We’ve got to get her to the plane and back to the compound.”_

_“ **Gia?!** What happened to her?”_ I didn’t have it in me to be frustrated with his arrival. It was comforting to me to hear his voice. He was dressed normally, which surprised me because he never shows any of his powers in street wear.

_“Cc..l..Clark.”_

_“Ssshhh. Gia it’s okay.”_ His voice was gentle and he wipes the tears off my face with one hand.

_“She is bleeding internally. She is already healing but not fast enough. I’ll have to cauterize the area. It will be enough to stabilize her.”_

_“Gia hold on to my hand.”_

I grabbed it with our fingers interlinking, some of his energy flowing into me from our direct contact. His eyes began to glow red and shot into my abdomen, I screamed bloody murder causing the doors the rattle on their frames, surprisingly I didn’t pass out. 

_“Let’s get her out of here.”_ Bruce comes over to lift me but Clark just pulls me up into his arms. I fall into the comfort of his smell and the warmth of his embrace. 

**I was certain I would never experience this again, especially when all hell was about to break loose…**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Now that Gia almost died, will she be more willing to give Clark a listen?


	8. The secret is out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gia wakes up from her attack...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am kicking these out aren't I? LOL  
> Enjoy!

Midnight: Chapter 8

In the walk to the ship I had fallen asleep fairly quickly, as I was exhausted and against his chest I felt safe, but when I woke up in a bed. I was totally confused as to where I was. Had those men succeeded in getting me back?Had the team, Clark included all been a dream. I did my best to let energy build on my hands, preparing for a fight. 

_“Whoa there cowgirl. You are safe here.”_

I heard Arthur say as I realized I was not alone in the room. I sat up ignoring the pain in my lower abdomen as the recent events came rushing back. I groaned and looked at Arthur and Diana who were in the room with me.

_“Where are we? Where is Kalen? Is he safe?”_

_“You are in Bruce’s mansion. You are safe Kalen is safe. Bruce thought it might be better if he and his caretaker were not here.”_ Diana tells me with a look of concern on her face. 

I looked confused and my senses told me Clark was no longer in my immediate vicinity. 

_“ Wait where did he take my son?”_

_“He just had Alfred take them to another part of the property. Gia does he know?”_

Diana asks softly, I pretend not to know what she was asking me.

_“Does who know what?”_

Diana sits on the edge of my bed as Arthur leans on the wall with his arms crossed against his chest. The frustration is back but it is intertwined with concern and the compassion the rumors said he lacked. 

_“So you are going to sit there and act like you don’t know what we are talking about?”_ Arthur says.

I huffed in frustration. Ignoring the burning feeling of the raw skin where Clark had used his heat vision on me. I realized I had on some flimsy hospital gown. If I had enough energy I would shift into proper clothes, but I didn’t. 

_“I need some clothes.”_

 _“I think you are going to have much bigger problems than clothes if you don’t figure out how to tell Supes.”_ Says Arthur 

_“I’ll send him a thank you card.”_ The answer was flippant I knew. 

“ _Gia!”_

Arthur says angrily and I had the forethought not to jump at his voice, but I knew nervousness showed in my face. I lashed back out at him. It was a defense mechanism I was unfortunately good at.

_“Arthur! Now that we are done yelling each other’s names, can someone go get Ms. A and My son.”_

_“You think whoever tried to basically kidnap you will stop?”_

_“If we get away…”_

_“They shot you. Almost killed you. If I hadn’t shown up when I did you would be dead.”_

I looked at my hands, unwilling to make eye contact.

_“And I thank you but I can’t stay and put my son at risk.”_

_“He will never be more safe than he is right now. Arthur can you please retrieve her son?”_

He grunts in confirmation and leaves me alone with Diana. She turns to me with a sincere look on her face. I took note of her hair pulled back into a bun and she was dressed in a pair of jeans and a yellow top. I was jealous. I wanted clothes really badly. Being this naked left me feeling vulnerable.

_“Gia, I know this must be hard for you. I can hear how your heart is racing. I know we do not know each other well and maybe I am the last person you want to tell your secrets to, but I like you Gia. I want to help you. We all do, we cannot help you if you won’t admit the truth.”_

_“Diana I appreciate your offer but I can’t stay here. Everyone has their life and we have ours. I cannot let my past catch up with us.”_

_“You know as well as I do that Clark will not let anyone hurt you. Neither will we, you are on the team now. Now I’m going to ask you a very direct question, and while the answer is obvious I need a yes or no.”_

I shook my head to let her know I understood the instructions.

_“Is Kalen, Kal- El’s son?”_

Before I knew it I was crying again and I hated that I looked and felt so weak. 

_“Diana, he can’t know. He was happy with Lois. He will think I can’t protect him. He is going to take him away. I…I just…”_

I broke down sobbing into My hands, Diana moved closer, pulling me into her arms. 

_“I promise you that I won’t let that happen. You protected your son to almost your dying breath. Everyone including Kal saw that, I think you will be able to come to a solution about this. No matter what happens everything will be okay. I know there may be some shame in being with Clark while he was in a relationship, and while it is something I didn’t think he would do, that’s okay too. The past…”_

_“Wait stop Diana. Clark is still the same guy you thought of him. He and Lois were not together at the time, I am many things. A home wrecker is not one of them, furthermore the reason why we need to leave. I can’t impress a child on their relationship. At some point in my life, I considered Lois a friend, I can’t come in and ask her to play Step-mother. This is why I need to go…”_

_“I apologize for my assumption.”_ She says and means it.

“It’s okay it was a logical assumption but please help me get out of here.”

“ _Kal-El will only look for you if you go. He will be back soon I imagine. He and Bruce went to figure out who sent those men to attack you. He was not very happy when he left. He made sure you were safe on the plane and he went home to change. I however will bring you some clothes. Gia he deserves to know.”_

She quickly goes out of the room, the clothing must not have been far because she came in with some jeans and a deep purple cap sleeved shirt. I knew my hair had to be a mess of dark curls. The elastic holder had long since disappeared. A quick and hot second shower freed me of any lingering debris and dirt and I dressed in the clothes that Diana provided me. 

I was rubbing a towel on my hair that I was forced to wash when my door opened and a ball of energy came flying into my legs. Followed by Ms. Alphonse. Tears in her eyes she hugs me as well, then pops my arm like my mom used to do when I was a child. While the memories were fond, the pain was not. I rubbed the sore spot and looked at her afraid she would just hit me again.

_“Tiffany or should I say Gia. You have a lot of explaining to do.”_

_“I know Ms. A. I promise you at least that much. I will tell you what I can about me and Kalen as soon as we get out of here.”_

“And go where Child? I’ve got a feeling if Kyle’s…sorry I mean Kalen’s father is who I think it is you won’t get very far.”

 _“Mommy!!!!!”_ Kalen pulls at the bottom of my shirt until I bend down to pick him up. 

_“Should you be doing that?”_

I looked at Ms. A and hugged my baby tight to me. I ignored that maybe she was right, I needed to hold him. 

_“Mama’ you feel better?”_

_“Yes mama is okay. Are you hungry? Are you okay?”_

_“You said we can eat Ice cream!”_

I looked at him and he didn’t seem to answer my question, but his mood was fine.

_“I am sure my friend has some ice cream here somewhere. Let’s go find Alfred.”_

I kissed him on the cheek and sat him down on the ground and he grabbed my hand. I noticed Arthur in the doorway.

_“Kalen did my friend introduce himself to you?”_

_“He looks mean”_ he says quietly, Arthur hides a smirk.

_“He’s a friend of mommy’s. He’s not going to mean to you if you are nice to him.”_

I led him forward stopping in front of Arthur.

_“Baby, this is Mr. Arthur.”_

Arthur’s face softens, and he comes down to my sons level, a smile on his face.

_“ I’m usually only mean to the bad guys. Can I get a high five little buddy?”_

He holds his hand up and Kalen reluctantly smacks it . Arthur pretends to be hurt, grabbing his hand as if in pain.

_“Whoa little man, you are strong! Gia, you are you sure he is only 3!”_

He says with dramatics but he also looks at me. The unspoken words being that his obviously abnormal strength was furthermore proof of his paternal parentage. 

_“Mommy he doesn’t look like the Arthur on TV.”_

I laughed and Arthur looked at me confused.

_“Kalen he is not the same Arthur from your TV show.”_

I looked at Arthur who had now stood back up and looked confused.

_“He thinks you are supposed to be Arthur the Aardvark.”_

_“Oh, well I think I’m cooler than an aardvark. More like a fish. We will go to the beach one day and I’ll show you a buncha cool stuff that I can only show my friends. You are my friend right?”_

My son nods happily.

_“Alright my man! Let’s go raid the kitchen. I’m sure Barry is down there somewhere with the good stuff.”_

We followed him down the hallway to the large sitting room where Victor and Diana were chatting with Alfred. Barry was lounging with a large sandwich and his feet up. 

_“Hi everyone. I have some very important people I’d like for you to meet if you haven’t already. This is Sarah Alphonse, she has been instrumental in helping me with little man here.”_

Ms. A. Smiles at everyone in the room and walks over to have a seat on one of the large couches in the room. 

_“And speaking of the little man, everyone this is my son, Kalen.”_

Barry’s eyes got big and I was under the assumption that he hadn’t actually seen my son up close. Diana simply waved at the little boy.

He waved back clearly having remembered her from the plane ride. He took one look at Victor and to his credit he didn’t scream, he only moved behind my legs, peaking from behind them. 

_“Kalen this is Mr. Victor. He helps mommy when she needs to get the bad guys. He’s kinda like a transformer and a computer all in one.”_

_“So he a robot?”_

_“He’s A PERSON that just can do really awesome stuff with computers and looks really cool too. Mr. Victor is pretty darn awesome himself, Can you say to him for me?”_

He comes behind my legs slightly and Victor leans forward but otherwise lets Kalen come to him. He reaches out slowly once Kalen is close enough and Kalen reaches up touches the metal of his hand. Victor makes a fist and they bump in a cool way and Kalen smiles at Victor. 

I could feel Victors relief to be able to interact with a small child and not have him run screaming. 

_“BooYah!”_ Victor says and my son picks up in that instantly

_“Boo ya! Boo ya!!”_

We all laugh at his innocent excitement. I take note his eyes are no longer brown like mine but have reverted back to their natural blue.

_“So guys little bro was promised some ice cream, Alfred my man do you think we could find some for him?”_

_“Of course Mr. Curry. Would young Mr. Smith and Ms. Alphonse like to accompany me to pick some out? Mr. Wayne likes to keep a few flavors in the house for his ‘cheat day’”_

We all laughed at Alfred’s little reveal about the stoic man that he basically raised. 

_“Come on young man they might have some candy too!”_

He cheers and takes off in a run behind her and Alfred.

_“Please Don’t let him have too much sugar!”_

I yell behind them, but I know it’s a moot point. 

That leaves the team to look at me.

_“So am I crazy or does that kid look like A mini, tan…”_

I cut Barry off before he could finish his sentence with a raised hand.

“ _He looks like the father that does not know about him Barry. It’s complicated and I’m scared as shit. Diana here has convinced me to come clean. I think this a terrible idea, but I will pull him aside whenever he and Bruce come back. If he doesn’t come back here, I’ll drive out to Smallville. I just want to ease this on him. It’s delicate…”_

I am interrupted by a door opening to my left. 

“Recon proved unsuccessful. I’ll start gathering surveillance.”

Bruce says as he comes into the room, removing his cowl and still frowning. He looks at me standing there and maybe he is even surprised I am up. He doesn’t let in linger however. 

_“Gia. It’s good to find you awake.”_

_“Thank you for coming to save me Bruce.”_

_“Glad I could be of service. Have they told you where your son is?”_

_“Yes he is raiding your cheat day ice cream as we speak.”_

_“Good. I assumed that it was best to keep him away while you healed and had a chance to explain.”_

“ _Everyone else has had a very brief explanation, one that they can explain to you. I am not fond of repeating myself. Where is Clark?”_

I said really hoping Bruce wasn’t about to try and check me about not telling any of them about my dalliance with Clark. It really wasn’t any of their business. He seemed to have enough sense to back off of the subject anyway. 

_“He went to the room you were in to check on you. I guess since you are here, he will be in, in about…”_

At that moment Clark comes back in the room, still in full Superman Regalia. His eyes softened the moment they saw me.

“ _Gia I was worried when I couldn’t find you in your room. Why are you up and moving already?”_ He furrows his brows (a habit he had developed for his confusion) 

_“I am fine Clark.”_

He comes closer, his arms pulling me into a hug which I resisted. I could feel his disappointment at my lack of interaction. 

“ _I don’t know about that. I literally just cauterized an internal bleed less than a few hours ago. I think you ought to come lay back down.”_

He keeps one arm wrapped around me, a sort of one armed hug as he tried to usher me out the door. I pulled away.

_“I said I am fine Clark. I don’t want to sit down or lay down. We, however, should talk.”_

I motioned between the two of us. 

_“I agree Gia. I need to change out of this but we should talk…without the eyes.”_

He motions to the other members on the team, and smirks at me. Innocent enough that I almost tear up. This could be the last time I see this directed toward me, a sort of warm fondness envelops me. 

_“Let’s go back to my room.”_

Clark laughs at how I begin to push him toward the door, he moves because he wants to, not because I can move him under any power of my own. 

_“Forever the pushy one now this is the Gia I remember.”_

_“Omg just move it Kent.”_

We were almost to the door leading to the hallway, when the doors on the opposite side of the room opened and Kalen came running at my legs, full speed, I picked him up despite the burn to my side. I forced a smile on my face while my heartbeat I knew Clark could hear went wild.

“ _Momma! Momma! They had the bestest ice cream here! They have the Star Wars kind! I ate’d it and Mr. Alfred let me have some gummy bears too!”_

I swung him around noting that the Sugar High he had was just getting started, and kissed his cheek, looking at only his face, because I knew shit was about to hit the fan as soon as I looked up. 

_“That is Good Baby. I told you that you would get your ice cream for being a good boy.”_

It was then that Kalen finally looked beyond me and to the two new additions to the room. The excitement mixed with trepidation as they landed on the man closest to me. I finally looked up at Clark, and when I did. It was the first time he made eye contact with his son. The emotions felt like a punch in the gut.

Confusion and fear are the most prominent. The fear from Clark was new to me. He was never scared, I didn’t even feel fear from him when he flew that spear into the Zod-monster.

_“Momma is that the man from the tv? Supa’man?”_

He points to Clark who I have yet to see breathe. Clark is only staring at him, taking a few steps back from where the two of us stood.

The rest of the room follows the same suit as him, holding their breath as they await something to happen.

I push his hand down.

_“Baby, What did momma say about pointing at people?”_

_“It not nice. I rude if I points. But momma that’s Supa’man!”_

He starts bouncing in my arms excitedly. 

_“Sorry everyone. You guys know When Superman passed they did and still do a lot of specials about the people he has saved, plus on the kids shows they animated him, talked about him. They even did a whole special about his death and what it means. He became a big fan.”_

I looked at my son whose eyes were lit up still their natural blue. He had the biggest smile on his face as he worked around trying to get down. Little did he know I was using him a life jacket. He was the only thing keeping me grounded. 

_“Ummm yeah baby that’s Superman, but you still can’t point at him.”_

_“Can’ts I say hi? You put me down momma?”_

I kiss his cheek, he wipes it off, not wanting to be seen getting a kiss from his mother in front of Superman.

_“Ummm I can but please be the polite young man I know you can be?”_

I let him slide down and I watch as he takes the steps over to Clark, which were a lot calmer than I thought they would be. Clark wastes no time dropping to his knee in front of the little boy.

_“Momma says you are Su’paman.”_

Clark opens his mouth to speak and at first his voice is only a whisper, as clearly his is clogged. He was choked up and I couldn’t blame him.

_“Your mother would be right. I am Superman. What is your name?”_

_“My name is Kalen Jo-seph Smith! You have a cool cape Mr. Supa’man! It’s my favorite color!”_

_“What color is that Kalen?”_ I offer trying to smooth the interaction.

 _“Red!”_ I smile at his child’s excitement.

“Wow! I like that color too. How old are you Kalen?” Clark says

_“I’m 3 and a half years old!”_

Clark doesn’t look at me, but I know he was confirming the timeline in his mind by Kalen’s age. I had my hand near my mouth already, the other arm wrapped around my torso, trying to disappear. I knew I couldn’t go invisible, not with my son in the room.

 _“Wow you are such a big boy! Strong little man too I bet.”_ Clark says with a wide smile, though his emotions were still a mix of shock, fear, and worry.

_“Yeah man you should feel little dudes high five. Lil man is going to be catching trains just like you someday.”_

Arthur says with a joke to soften the tension in the room and my Kalen feels even better. Something I was grateful for. It was short-lived because it triggered my son to inadvertently change his hairstyle to match the short- straight cut and black that Clark currently had. 

Clark jumped slightly along with everyone else in the room, with the exception of Ms. A.I ran over to my son, picking him up again to which he was okay with because he was startled by Clark’s sudden movement. I smiled at the room hoping to show that my child wasn’t dangerous to anyone as everyone’s anxiety and nervousness shot up ten fold.

_“I guess I owe a small explanation to you all. My little Kalen here is special. He can change small things about his appearance. His eye color, his hair. The hair can be kind of funny, one time I came in the room it was long and blue. I imagine it will be bigger things as he grows into his powers. It’s the reason I only have trusted him with Ms. Alphonse. He doesn’t do it knowingly yet, which means he can’t control it.”_

_“He has been able to do this since birth?”_ Bruce asks

 _“Not immediately after. They had enough time to note his hair was dark brown and his eyes blue. It honestly didn’t start until he was about 6 months and it was only his eyes. Funny thing was I thought I was going crazy from lack of sleep. I finally broke down one day while trying to get him to stop crying because he had colic and Ms. A came to my door. She helped me so much with him since then. After a good night’s rest, I took note that my child’s eyes were no longer like…_ ( I was about to say Clark’s but stopped myself) _they weren’t blue but brown. I was staring him in the eyes when they changed back as he lit up upon seeing me. Kalen just has gifts.”_

_“Well I guess we should expect nothing less from your child.”_ Victor offers with a smirk. 

We all watched his hair go back to normal and I looked to Ms. Alphonse who stepped forward then I looked at my baby.

_“Alright little man. It’s getting kind of late, I think someone should start getting ready for bed.”_

_“But mommy I don’t wanna. Superman is here! What if I go to sleeps and he goes away?”_

_“Umm…”_

I start to say, still not sure if Clark will have anything to do with us, but Clark steps forward and holds out his arms to take Kalen, who excitedly reaches for him. My eyes prick as Clark truly holds his son for the first time and I feel the full feeling of completeness and love I felt pouring out of him. My son hugs him back, just happy be hugging Superman. Clark finally pulls back to swing him to his side, Kalen basically sitting on his forearm, with a huge smile on his face.

_“Momma I’m taller than you now!”_

_“Yep you are! Someday will be that tall without a Superhero holding you, but for now, you are a little mini that needs to get ready for bed.”_

_“Can Mr. Superman come with me?”_

He asks and Clark who hadn’t stopped looking at his son since he appeared finally looked me in my face, eager as to what I would say.

_“Ummm… how about you get ready for bed with Ms. Alphonse and if he doesn’t get called away to save the world Mr. Superman will come up and read you a story.”_

_“Don’t worry Kalen the world will wait when it comes to you. I’ll come read you any story you want.”_

Kalen almost squeals he’s so excited and Clark sits him down on the ground excitedly.

Alfred comes over to Ms. A.

_“Let me show you to some guest rooms on this side of the wing.”_

Clark stands back up after sitting Kalen back in his own two feet, we both watch him leave with Ms. A. Once the door closes, he just looks at me. 

_“Ummm…I think I left a tea kettle somewhere in Hong Kong. I better go.” Barry takes off and I feel like I am about to fall apart at the intensity at which Clark stares at me._

_“ I have to go do…something. Gia remember what I told you.”_

Diana offers before leaving the room, Bruce and Victor begins after her.

_“Yeah it’s getting pretty damn intense in here. I need a drink.”_

Arthur says and follows the rest of the team out.

**As soon as the door closes I get the strength to look Clark in his eyes again…**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AHHHH! Clark knows about Kalen! What do you think is going to happen?


	9. The good times?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/n: Welcome back everyone! I have loved all the support this has been getting and I swear I am working diligently on the next chapter. Enjoy this one…

##  **Midnight: Chapter 9**

_“You gave him my middle name”_

Clark is standing in front of me and his emotions blend together so fluidly I can’t tell them apart to get a grasp on what he is feeling.

_“Yes. He could not share your last name, so I gave him something he could share with you.”_

_“You wanted no one to know he was my son. Not even him.”_

His voice is calmer than I ever could have anticipated it would be. Then again I never expected this to happen. 

“ _Nobody could. It was too dangerous, I couldn’t risk it, and to be honest Clark who would believe that he was your child.”_

Clark looks away, unable to make eye contact for a moment because he knew I was right.

_“Even now you still believe its dangerous don’t you?”_

_“Clark I just…”_

_“You weren’t even going to tell me were you?”_ He asked me, clearly irritated.

“You want the nice version or the rude one?”

I ask heading over to the nearby chair and away from him. 

_“I just want the truth Gia.”_ For once Clark Kent sounds exhausted. Honestly I was too, I didn’t expect any of this when I started my day this morning. It seemed like it had been going on forever. 

_“The truth was and still is that a long time ago the man I thought would never abandon me did.”_

_“Gia…”_

_“Wait Clark let me finish. You abandoned me. Then you died Kal-El. You died and left me here by myself. Even though you left me, Kalen was the only part of you I had left. I had to protect that.”_

Clark felt extreme amounts of pain and grief.

_“You did it alone when you didn’t have to.”_

I laughed incredulously, bless his heart but he didn’t understand.

_“Clark do you understand the Hell that would have broken loose if I showed up on Mrs. Kent’s doorstep with your baby?”_

He gives me a nervous smirk.

_“I’d imagine she’d give you hell for calling her Mrs. Kent.”_

_“Not funny.”_

_“I’m doing my best not the flip out right now. Less than 20 minutes ago my son that you failed to tell me about ran into the room and you can’t even look me in my eye and admit that you weren’t going to say anything!”_

_**“I WASN’T GOING TO TELL YOU!”** _

Clark’s face falls and clearly he’s hurt.

_“You wanted the truth there it is. The other side of that truth is that I had changed my mind. Forget that you’ve not been awake a full 24 hours yet and this is not just something you shout out. This is why I wanted to talk to you alone when you arrived. My son…”_

_“Our son.”_

I ignored the flutter of my heart at hearing him claim Kalen. The flutters reminded me of a time when all he had to do was be in the same general vicinity for me to feel them. I pushed it back down, I no longer have the time for these feelings.

_“Am I to believe you were actually going to tell me? Excuse me if I’m not apt to believe that, considering you have been doing your best to push me away.”_

_“Believe me or not Kal. You are going to believe whatever you want. At the end of the day I have done everything in my power to keep MY son safe. I’ll be damned if I apologize for keeping the child that I pushed out of my body safe. You Kal-El slash Clark Kent slash asshole can go fuck yourself.”_

Surprisingly he starts laughing at me.

_“The fuck is so funny?”_

_“You only break out my Kryptoian name when you are pissed at me.”_

If he only knew how pissed I was, he wouldn’t be making fun of me.

_“You can stop laughing Clark. This shit ain’t funny. Do you understand what people will think given his age? What those on this team have already thought? Let me give you a hint. They think I’m a dirty hoe or did you forget about the fact that nobody knows the timeline about how this happened? How I could call myself Lois’ friend? How do you think she will respond once she finds out you have a child with someone that’s not her?”_

_“But Gia we did not cheat together.”_

_“I know that, you know that. Nobody else does! To the world you were and still are Clark Kent and Lois Lane the Daily Planet power couple and me I was the lowly barista who slept with you. A dirty whore.”_

“Don’t CALL YOURSELF THAT!”

I scoffed at his anger. 

_“Why not Clark? That exactly what you reduced me to. Me. I can live with you walking out my life. I made peace with losing you. It’s always been her over me, and that’s the card I have been dealt. What I won’t do however is watch you come into his life and then leave again to save face after she and the world tells you it’s wrong.”_

_“What makes you think I would leave our son behind? I care less of what the world thinks of me.”_

_“It’s not the world I worry for anymore Kal. It’s the people that you love I worry about. I won’t let you break his heart.”_

Clark looks at me, his anger radiating from him, as his chest puffs out and walks closer to me.

_“WHY DO YOU BELIEVE I WOULD ABANDON MY SON?!”_

_“BECAUSE YOU ABANDONED ME! You are capable of breaking hearts because YOU BROKE MINE!”_

Realization dawns on him and he tries to move closer to me. I toss up the strongest shield I am capable of. Clark can’t get through, and just holds his hand against the invisible barrier. His forehead drops against it. 

_“Let me in Gia. Please.”_

I hadn’t even realized the tears had come back. I shook my head no.

_“I can’t Clark. Besides this is no longer about us. It’s about Kalen. Now your son is waiting for you to read him a bedtime story. I am going to bed, goodnight.”_

_“Gia…please just talk to me…”_

_“We can discuss telling Kalen about you in the morning. Goodnight Clark.”_

I walked away, the shield still holding strong. Thankfully he didn’t follow as I locked myself in my room.

Once inside memories I had long sense suppressed came to the surface.

##  ***Flashback*** Nearly four years ago

I woke up slightly disoriented. The only thing that I knew for certain was the soreness in between my legs. As I adjusted to the light streaming in my newly acquired solo apartment, I rolled on my back, my nudity covered by my beige sheets, the comforter sprawled across my floor. The night’s events came rushing back to me all at once. The memories of feeling Clark’s hands on me, roaming the expanse of my body, the feeling of his strong, hard body in between my legs, the cries of my multiple climaxes as my nails ran down his muscled back.

I spent the night with Clark.

I was still trying to wrap my head around what had happened, but I still also wanted to live in this moment. Reminiscing on how wonderful it had been to lay with him. 

Thinking of him made me wonder where the man himself had gone? My bed was cold enough to indicate he had been gone for a while, at least not in bed with me.

_“Clark?”_

I called out softly, knowing if he was nearby he would hear me. I heard no response nor did he appear. I looked around the bedroom, taking note that my clothes were still scattered while his were gone. 

‘No big deal, he was Superman he couldn’t exactly wait until I woke up to go save the world.’

With that in mind I got up to take a hot shower once out I spent the day floating in a cloud until it got later and later in the day and he hadn’t reappeared. Then the next day when he wouldn’t call or text me back letting one week went by as I became steadily more depressed. I wasn’t sure what was wrong? Had I been that trash in bed that he had to ghost me? I mean even if it wasn’t as good for him as it had been for me, I mean we could work on that, what was burning me up was that at the bottom of it all was that we were better than this. I thought he was better than this. It was almost a week to the hour since Clark and I had fallen into bed, and I had just finished watching Love and Basketball, wiping stray tears away. I had blown through my snacks and I needed more before I started watching Love Jones. I decided to make a run to the store. 

Donned in yoga pants, an old t-shirt and a men’s hoodie that I fell in love with from the Goodwill , I walked to the store. My apartment wasn’t far from the coffee shop where I worked along with a bunch of other cute little shops. I found my convenience store. Settling for the chocolate brownie Ben and Jerry’s along with Gummy Bears and chips. I headed back to my apartment, looking down at my phone, scrolling Instagram, when a shop door opens in front of me. The guys coming out of the bike shop apologize but I don’t care because upon looking up I see Clark spinning Lois in his arms, her head tipped back in a laugh as her red delicately curled hair swung around. 

My breath catches in my chest as he leans down and kisses her soundly on the lips. 

I almost dropped my bag. I literally feel my heart break, I think Clark must hear it break because he looks up spotting my face from the under the hoodie. His guilt hits me full force furthermore confirming what I am seeing, but it gets buried under my emotions. 

I back away from where they are coming toward me, finding an alleyway. He can’t follow me without looking suspicious to Lois. I jump from building to building, sliding down the fire escape and into my hallway, where I let myself into my apartment and tried to block out the rage and pain I felt, cutting on my movie as I intended before I left. Shutting down was the only thing I knew how to do properly.

_*3 hours later*_

I fell asleep on the couch, my package of Lorna Doone cookies sitting open on the coffee table, I almost screamed upon seeing a darkened figure standing in the corner of my room. It was only the familiar scent that calmed me, then pissed me off.

_“What in the fuck are you doing here?”_

Clark came out of the corner of my living room and I waved my hand, the lights coming on in the apartment. Dressed in the same blue plaid shirt and Henley, with jeans I saw him in earlier with…her.

_“Well I’ve been trying to call you for two hours and when you didn’t answer I got nervous. So I came over.”_

I glared at him. 

“ _So let me get this straight. You, Kal-El have sex with me over, how many days ago…what is it now, like 7 days and then ghost me. No explanation or anything, and in the middle of your ghosting, you run into me. Then let me guess, you decide you need a booty call from the side chick, call me and when I don’t jump when you say jump , NOW you get nervous. “_

I scoff and say

_“Pfft, Clark I think you should go.”_

_“Gia. I owe you an apology. I never meant to hurt you. It wasn’t supposed to go that far.”_

_“Good to know you didn’t plan to break my back and then leave.”_ I scoff with an eye roll.

_“I’m serious Gia. I am sorry. I got so caught up and then Lois came back into town the next day wanting to work it out. She and I have been through too much to leave it on the table.”_

_“But you will sacrifice my feelings though.”_

_“It’s not like that. I care about you Gia, so so much. I haven’t called because to be honest, I look at you and see how this will hurt you and Lois. I came to tell you that I think it’s best if we don’t see each other. At least for right now, just until Lois and I can get settled.”_

I was crushed, the man I loved was the one breaking my heart. 

_“You will never be settled if you lie to her.”_

_“I will tell her eventually, Gia it’s just temporary.”_

I glared at him, and walked into my kitchen. Clark watched as I drank a glass of water. I gave myself a minute to compose, then said some of the hardest words to come out of my mouth.

_“No it’s not temporary.”_ I sigh 

_“Yes, yes it is Gia. Besides you deserve to have a chance to live your life. You have been wrapped up in my Superhero business since I rescued you. You deserve to enjoy the life you clawed your way to without me around. Just let me handle the bad people out there for now. Maybe you can find someone to love you just as you without the baggage I bring.”_

The ‘ because I don’t love you ‘ hung in the air like smoke and the fact that he couldn’t even say it out loud pissed me off. He even thought he could tell me to give up Midnight. She being an extension of me, it told me he didn’t care at all. He couldn’t have asked that of me if he did.

_“I said it’s not temporary Clark. You see, I thought you would be different because you aren’t from Earth. Turns out your biological parents’ goal was accomplished because you are just like the rest of the men in the world Clark Kent. You get what you want and you leave. As women we give and give until we are depleted. I gave to you until I was almost lost in the shadow of you. I’m done giving to you Kal. I’m done waiting for you to realize I am not some fragile flower in need of your protection anymore. If cutting me out your life was so easy now, then who am I to think you won’t do it again when it’s convenient? Bold of me to assume you give two fucks about me at all. So when I say it’s not temporary, it’s because it’s not. This week without you proved one thing to me and that is that I don’t need or want you in my life anymore.”_

_“But Gia I care I just…I mean just a few short weeks ago I was going to propose to Lois. I can’t just walk away from her. Why can’t you of all people understand that?”_

I laugh again which only makes him nervous. I knew about the ring. He had shown me a while ago and while I ignored the flicker of pain, I had congratulated him and given him a proud hug. I had finally begun to make peace with Clark only being my friend. I was almost over the crush, then this had happened. 

Now he was not about to lay his guilt on me like all of this was my doing. I loved him more than I thought was possible, but I loved myself more, at least as of this moment I did.

_“Kal I understand perfectly. I never asked you to choose between she and I. All I ever asked was that you be my friend. You can’t even manage that. Come on let’s face it, you’ve been pulling away from me for a while. I am tired of digging my heels in the dirt, begging you to return my friendship as you had in the past. So I agree it’s best we do not see each other, but this time Kal-El make it permanent. Get out of my life and don’t EVER come back.”_

His face fell, I imagined the tears in his eyes, probably to make myself feel better about all of this. 

_“Gia. I don’t mean forever.”_

_“It’s not up for discussion because I do. I mean forever. Enjoy building your perfect life with Lois. I hope she is all the friend you will ever need, maybe you will make more, better than how you’ve treated me, but to be honest I don’t care if she is or not. Please leave my apartment and don’t come back.”_

 _“Gia.”_ He says his voice almost pleading.

_“GET OUT NOW KAL- EL!”_

I said finally frustrated with him. I was on the verge of tears. I can’t break down with him here. I needed him to go.

_“I’ll go Gia because it’s what you’ve asked of me, but I can’t not see you as in forever. I am…not… that strong.”_

I imagined I could feel his disappointment and heartbreak. I knew I was trying to make myself feel better.

_“You are going to have to be. Besides Don’t be so dramatic, I am only giving you what you wanted from the beginning when you asked me if I had anywhere to go. I’m setting you free of me for good just like you would have the night you rescued me. Goodbye Kal-El.”_

I couldn’t even look at him, I shut off all incoming emotions as he stood there looking at me for another minute or so. Finally he opens the front door.

_“Goodbye Gia.”_

As soon as the front door closes I slid to the kitchen floor. Face in my hands, knees almost touching my chest as I cried, the position reminding me of the night he found me and asked me to trust him. I did and look where it got me.

How did I lose my best friend and the man I loved in one night?

I was stupid to even let them become the same person. The worst part was that subconsciously I knew this would be the outcome. Okay maybe not the whole sex thing but even still I ignored my gut, and latched onto the idea that he loved me the way I loved him and I gave him a part of me that I could not get back. 

I could never fully forget Clark Kent because he had been my first. I knew I would always love him, he could just never know that…

##  **_*End Flashback*_ **

We had no clue about the life we created the same night I lost my virginity to him. He wore protection and I was on birth control, so I still don’t know how Kalen came to be, but every time my son looks at me I am grateful. I would go through heartbreak again and again if it meant he didn’t feel an ounce of pain. Seeing Clark again after all these years had only proved I had buried the hurt, not gotten over it. 

I had to keep Clark at a distance at least from me. I had to stick to my decision that was made a long time ago and that was to not give a damn about this situation. 

_**My son had to be the priority. I couldn’t handle it if he wasn’t…** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/n: So what do you think? I hope it was enjoyable despite the heavy angst….
> 
> Love you all!! -Singeramg


	10. A babysitter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So don’t hate me but y’all are still going to want to punch Clark. Hell I want to punch him in the throat and I wrote it!

##  **Midnight: Chapter 10**

The morning came entirely too soon. When I arrived back to my room, it seemed Diana had been kind enough to sit out some night clothing for me. The room had a television that was on but I hadn’t watched it and in fact I fell asleep, falling into what was thankfully a dreamless sleep. 

The room was cool despite the light coming from the large windows. My room had a balcony complete with the chairs and it’s own en-suite bathroom. If I didn’t know any better I would think it was the master/ king suite of the house, but I always knew the house was just that big. Therefore the rooms were extraordinarily nice. It was certainly more than I had ever had in my life. My mother was an amazing woman who had done everything in her power to make sure I didn’t go without and while most of the time this was true, we also had our struggles. However one thing I was never short of was love. I had done my best to make sure Kalen wouldn’t be short of it either. It now seemed he would have more than just my love, something I would be grateful for.

As I looked out of the French doors to the large estate, I loved how much space it had. Before I could fall into the memories that turned me into a city girl, a small crackle and then a voice was heard, through an invisible speaker that was surprisingly loud.

_“Ms. Smith. Young Smith has woken up and he is having what seems to be a bit of a temper tantrum. Ms. Alphonse says you have two options. The first is to get up and help manage your son or second find someone else to do it in the next 5 minutes.”_

I laughed a bit and finding my strength had returned, I waved changing my clothes for the day. 

I opened the door to an empty hallway, and followed the sounds of a screaming toddler. He was only two doors down from me and I got a read on his energy before I went in the room. He was high upset that much was obvious, but underneath was disappointment and fear. Concerned I opened his door, where not 2 second later he was running over to me, eyes red from crying and red in the iris which didn’t happen often, but it let me know how mad he was.

He let me pick him up and I hugged him tight.

_“Kalen why are you so upset?”_

He continued to holler, his head tossed back, his words jumbled up in tears.

_“Kalen Joseph I know you have already told you that if you want to speak to me you need to straighten up our face and stop screaming. Now I’m going to ask you again and I want words out of you.”_

I say in a clear and firm voice. He doesn’t stop crying but he does calm down enough to talk. 

_“M..mmoommy he not here!!!!”_

My ears were ringing slightly and I hugged him to my body much like I did when he was a arm baby. 

_“Honey, who are you talking about?”_

_“Supa’man!”_

I shared a look with Ms. A, who was just as concerned. I walked over to his bed, trying to sooth him with rubbing his back. He starts to relax some and I ‘shhh’ him softly. He hiccups, as he quiets gradually. Once he relaxed enough I talked to him.

_“Baby you know how Superman is really cool and he saves people right?”_

He nods.

_“Okay well how can he do that if he stays here with you all the time?”_

“ _Mommy I told you he would leave if I wents to sleep.”_

“ _Kalen baby I promise you he didn’t want to leave. Superheroes have got to be Superheroes and help people. What happens to all the good people like you and me if they can’t stop the bad guys because he stays with you huh?”_

I lean down and kiss his wet cheeks, with a smile.

_“Now, why don’t we get dressed? Then we can get some yummy food?”_

He looks at me and it only reaffirms I would do anything for him…

***Later***

Breakfast had been a dull affair and afterwards Kalen and I took a walk around Bruce’s property. It took an hour just to get halfway across. I was still tired from yesterday and even still I was going to have to go to work tonight. We couldn’t live off Bruce’s kindness forever. I knew I would have some bruises and whatnot, despite it being somewhat dark inside of the bar where I worked, it was still a bar. I had to at least look the part. Kalen had been a bit grumpy all day because he was upset about Clark. I hadn’t heard from said man all day. Part of me wasn’t surprised by the ghost move, he had proven he was capable and well practiced at that. Believe it or not I was just glad Kalen wasn’t too attached to him yet. Back inside Alfred had made lunch, and Victor, Diana and Bryce were all waiting on me. I left Kalen with Ms. A and Alfred so I could talk to them. Diana greets me with a hug and a smile, Victor and Bruce give their greetings as well.

 _“So my house is in one piece, so I am assuming you and Clark have had a talk.”_ Bruce says looking like he was on his way to a business 

_“As much as we could at least. I don’t know what he plans to do. I haven’t seen or heard from him all day and to be honest I’m okay with that. Less heartache for Kalen if he never knows who Clark Kent is to him. Now I know that can’t be the reason you all are here.”_

The room is quiet and slightly awkward at my stomach. Diana touches my shoulder, clearly offering her support.

_“Kal-El will come around. Just you see.”_

_“Well I won’t hold my breath.”_

I say jokingly but meaning every word. 

_“Gia we came to talk about the attack yesterday night, about what we found. Victor found some things in the security footage.”_

_“They managed to hide most of their tracks, but I’ve done some digging. For the very few that Arthur didn’t destroy, they escaped in a standard black utility van, partial license plates have it belonging to a front business, a bunch of Shell companies that have too many layers, that we are still working through. Clark told us that your powers were the result of experimentation?”_

_“Ummm…yes. I was kidnapped, imprisoned, then experimented on. For years, they tried everything they could to turn me into a weapon. One day they succeeded. I never knew much about them and still don’t. That night that I broke out and Clark helped me escape I never looked back.”_

_“Well it seems they were looking for you.”_

_“As evidenced by my destroyed apartment. Speaking of which I should get to looking for somewhere new to go. Surely my deposit is lost.”_

I dropped my forehead into my hands.

_“I think we work that out Gia.”_ Bruce laughs and I shake my head.

_“I can figure it out on my own. I always do, but for now I have to go to work. I’m due there in a few hours and it will take me at least one to get there and that is with a car?”_

I slide in that basically I need to borrow a car or someone has to take me.

“I don’t believe that going to work is the best option right now…”

Victor starts, I cut him off. 

_“ I don’t have much of a choice right now. I have to be able to take care of my son. We can’t live off of Bruce’s generosity forever. I have to help Ms. A out too. She has nowhere to go either. All I know how to do is take care of people that’s what I’ve done my whole life. That’s what I’m going to do now. I’ll keep my eyes open but I highly doubt they are going to attack me in a crowded bar.”_

The conversation was pretty much dead once they learned I made up my mind. I did my hair as I always did, pulling it into a curly poof on my head, and took my time covering the lingering bruising I had from fighting off attackers and despite my elevated healing process my skin was still trying to heal from my little heat vision surgery. It was due to be a busier night for the bar as it was motorcycle night. Plenty of clubs came in and they liked to drink. I would be a very busy bartender…

**The Bar on bike night was always a loud affair.** A lot of laughs, yelling and drinking. Most of the guys were harmless regulars that knew my name as much as I knew theirs, despite all the leather and hair they wouldn’t do much. I spent most of my night running around grabbing pints, pitchers and bar food. I was still on high alert, actively scanning emotions for things that stood out. Currently no one was giving me anything to fear. I was closing a tab out when someone plopped onto the barstool in front of me. The feeling of contentment and happiness, mixed with concern flooded me. I looked up finding Arthur sitting in front of me with a slight smirk.

_“I was told this was a good place to get a pint also that there was a pretty good looking bartender here.”_

I smirked back and said

_“Yo Mike! Think you can get this man a drink he wants one from a good looking bartender!”_

My bar partner for the night, a 5’11 college student about 22 years old and always got his tips from the single young women coming in. He also got his fair share of numbers. 

Arthur glared at me while Mike shot me a withering stare knowing that my call for him for only in jest. 

I leaned forward on the bar, closer so he could hear me better.

_“What are you doing here Arthur?”_

_“Two reasons the first being that if you thought for one second we were letting you out our sight, you got hit harder than we thought. Secondly I really needed a drink. That kind of got shot in the ass yesterday. Literally.”_

I could tell he was honest in his words.

_“ Har har har, make fun of my almost demise why don’t you. Besides you would think they would have let you off babysitting duty considering you found me yesterday.”_

I said with elaborating without much focus on the details. I sat a mug of beer in front of Arthur who took a guzzle and then started talking.

_“Well your options were limited, Bruce is too recognizable, Diana even dressed down attracts attention, Barry can’t talk to you without fumbling his words and why Victor couldn’t is fairly obvious. He however is watching via Camera.”_

I looked over at the small security camera on our wall, it moves up and down in a nodding motion, I laugh slightly and wave back.

_“So seeing as I fit in with the crowd. It automatically eliminated the other choice and he was none to pleased about being eliminated.”_

_“I think Alfred could have pulled it off. Bruce should let the man out for a drink once in a while.”_

Arthur laughs and takes another sip.

_“I agree he should, but that’s not who I’m talking about. I’ll have you know that Clark lost his shit when he found out you came to work, he was on his way here to yank you out but Bruce talked him down, explained that you hadn’t been out of sight since you left, and that we had a plan he relaxed some. He knew he wasn’t going to be able to fit in with this crowd.”_

I scoff. _“Understatement of the century.”_

_“But I guess if I had to have a babysitter for the night I could do worse than you.”_

_“You know that might be the first time I’ve heard that.”_

He finishes off the drink just as I get called to another order.

The rest of the night passes thankfully uneventfully. Only one fight broke out but was settled rather quickly. Arthur didn’t distract me and in fact stayed to himself other than laughing at the off color jokes and to my surprise not taking any of the women up of their offers for a good time, which makes me happier than I thought it would. I was going around for the last call when some guy grabs me, clearly drunk, his friends cheering him on. 

I push off, feeling Arthur get enraged. I shake my head, ignoring the burn on my still raw skin. I knew if Arthur came over it would only be worse, so I pushed the guy away from me, quickly standing back up from the lap he pulled me into. I kicked out, my foot landing in the middle of the mans chest. He and the chair fell backwards. I put my boot on his neck pressing down just enough so he gurgles, unable to speak. 

_“ Aye, I’m not on the menu. Keep your hands to yourself, or I promise you will fucking lose them.”_

Arthur had made it over to me, but my then the guy was coughing, red in the face and embarrassed. 

_“Pay your tab and get the fuck out.”_

I said and the crowd that had gathered let me through.

Arthur follows me back to the bar.

_“I’m impressed.”_

_“How else do you think I did this job? Contrary to popular belief I have skill sets that don’t involve powers.”_

I didn’t mention that my hand to hand combat skills started with Clark.

_“Alright then.”_

I looked at the clock on the wall.

“ _I’ve got one more hour left then I can go home.”_

_“In the meantime did that last call mean me too?”_

I punched him playfully in the arm as I walked back behind the bar…

***Later***

To my surprise Arthur gave me a ride home on the back of his bike. He really did fit the aesthetic of the crowd. I wasn’t about to complain about having to hold myself to him. He was gorgeous and honestly an all around mans man. He ticked a lot of the boxes for me, especially seeing as my contact with the male species had been limited because of the amount of time I spent with my son. I wasn’t about to push it however, content to be in the moment.The ride back was quick without all the traffic on the roads.

Arthur cut the bike off and it took a moment for the grumble of the engine to leave my ears. Even though it was 2 in the morning, Bruce still had plenty of lighting. 

_“So I have safely returned the princess back to the castle.”_

I laughed.

_“Yeah well maybe you returned the maid because let’s face it, I don’t fit in here well enough to be the princess.”_

_“Well certainly Ms. Gia you are royalty in your own right. The way you handled that pile of shit back there was badass.”_

_“Thanks Arthur and even though I didn’t seem like it tonight. I appreciate you for coming to watch over me , I’m sure you had much better things to do tonight.”_

_“Nope actually I was free as a fish. Besides if I’m being honest, I’m glad I didn’t get to miss you in that.”_

He motioned to my tight jeans and black leather vest. I ignored how my heart rate picked up under the intensity of his stare.”

_“Well I do look different when I am not covered in blood and demon guts.”_

_“Yes you do.”_

_“If I didn’t know better Arthur I’d think you were hitting on me.”_

He was staring at me intensely and I was looking back. Part of me wanted to pull him to my room and ruin the furniture but the other part of me was screaming to run away before I got hurt. Arthur steps closer into my space, and I can feel how cold he was due to his nature. 

_“It’s a good thing you don’t know better because I am.”_

_“This is certainly a 180 from a day or so ago when you were ready to be rid of me.”_

_“Aquaman can admit when he is wrong. But he can’t be wrong and stupid. Stupid would be to not at least ask you out.”_

I backed away slightly, but his one of his strong arms wrapped around my waist, pulling me to him. 

_“Oh… ummm I don’t know.”_

_“ Gia, I am not usually a begging type of guy but for you I will if that’s what you want. One date? If you aren’t feeling it then I can say I tried, crashed and burned, maybe go live in the sea for a few years to hide my shame…”_

I began laughing at his silliness.

_“Okay, okay, okay. I will go on one date with you. I can’t go breaking up the team before y’all have a chance to actually practice good team work.”_

_“Don’t you mean before we have a chance to practice teamwork. You are a team member too.”_

_“Are you sure? I usually don’t date coworkers. Too messy.”_

He laughs and waves his hand at his neck.

_“Alright then consider yourself a consultant. Not technically a team member okay?”_

_“That’s better.”_

_“Good. Think you can sneak away for a few hours tomorrow with me?”_

_“I’ll see if Ms. A or Alfred are busy.”_

I take a risk and kiss his cheek, careful not to initiate something I knew I wasn’t anywhere ready to finish. Arthur doesn’t say much, and doesn’t push for more to which I was grateful for. He let’s go of the hand he’d been holding.

_“Go get some rest Gia and I’ll be back tomorrow around 6ish?”_

_“Sounds like a plan.”_

_“See you then oh and wear something comfortable. Good night Gia.”_

_“Good night Arthur.”_

He waited until I was in the foyer of the house before I heard his bike start up and drive off.

A smile on my face, I went up the numerous stairs of Bruce’s mansion. I went to check on Kalen first, and the door to his room closed. He was sleeping soundly, his quiet but even breathing told me he had been asleep for awhile. I left him alone and trudged to my own room the night catching up with me. A hot shower soothed my achy muscles and tired feet. I took note that at some point Bruce had clothes delivered to Kalen and I while I was gone. There were way too many options, the man had fabrics of every single color and type imaginable. Overwhelmed by the excess I snatched a tank top and soft shorts. I didn’t even look at the tags as I popped them off. I honestly didn’t want to know as someone who hated spending more than 5 dollars on a shirt.

I got in the overly large bed and closed my eyes. I literally laid there for 5 minutes before I felt a surge of energy and looked up to find Clark standing on my balcony. As easy as he could break the door, I knew he wouldn’t. He waited for me to come open it. I sighed tossing the lavender colored covers back and getting out of bed. I opened the door with.

_“You seriously have terrible timing.”_

Clark is dressed as Clark minus his faux black rimmed glasses. I glare at him through tired eyes.

_“Gia, I’ve been waiting to talk to you all day. May I come in.”_

_“I would like to get some sleep. Try again later.”_

_“Gia.”_ I heard him whine, a tone many did not hear. 

_“Ugh. Alright Kent come on . I can manage to stay up for 10 more minutes..”_

I move out his way, and he comes into the room. I close the balcony door, and go to switch on the light. I squint at the brightness. I look Clark up and down, he unlatched the cape for his back, he still looks tired.

_“I take it you’ve had a busy night.”_

_“A few things but I actually spent most of my night worried about you. Why would you go to work, knowing they could track you?_ ”

_“Because I have a son who needs a roof over his head. I don’t have the luxury of shrugging off a job.”_

_“Gia you know you will be okay. Nobody here is going to let you or Kalen suffer. I know I won’t let you go without.”_

_“Look Clark I’ve been doing this by myself for years. I will always make sure my child is straight…”_

_“You are not doing it alone anymore. He is my son too.”_

_“Yes he is. All I am saying is…”_

_“All you are trying to do is push me out. I’ve missed 3 years with my son. I won’t miss anymore. So whatever hang up you have or if you think replacing me is going to solve you might as well get over it. I am not going anywhere.”_

I looked at him confused as he stood in the middle of my room, clearly upset.

_“Who is trying to replace you? If you want to be here Clark then be here. Nobody is stopping you. I just want you to be present with Kalen if you are going to be a part of his life. I need you to be consistent, not like that disappearing act you pulled earlier.”_

He comes over to me, sitting down next to me.

_“It seems I have so much to apologize to you for. I could try to do it all tonight but I suspect that you are not ready to hear it. I’ll start by saying that I didn’t mean to pull a disappearing act on you. I needed to have a conversation with Lois first. There were a lot of hurt feelings and it wasn’t an easy conversation to have.”_

I was livid again.

_“Let me get this straight…you not only left me waiting on you again, but you told Lois about Kalen without talking to me first!!”_

_“What is the problem? I felt she deserved to know, even if the circumstances about how Kalen came to be were that we were not together she needed to know I have a son. Even if she and I are no longer together, I considered her a friend enough to tell her before she just sees me with him.”_

I was ready to choke him out. I was surprised to hear that he and Lois were not together anymore, despite him having flown off with her. His eyes were wide and as much as I could take into account that he wasn’t being malicious. He was being stupid and regarding my feelings. As he always did. I tossed up a sound proofing shield, then I lost my shit.

_“Do you know how hard I have worked to make sure nobody knew or found out about Kalen being your son? The world knows about your connection to her, together or not, she will be the first person they come after for info! Did you think about the safety of our child?! Or were you too worried about your precious Lois’s feelings?!”_

“ _I…I don’t believe she will say anything to endanger Kalen…”_

_“You think the people trying to hurt you will give her much of a choice?! Fuck!”_

I growled out, feeling the energy pool at my fingertips. I wanted to throw it at his head and strangle him.

_“Can you calm down please? I…”_

“ _Kal you know exactly how I feel about people telling me to calm down. Do you want to be next on my hit parade?”_

“ _No. Please relax Gia. I didn’t think that through and maybe I shouldn’t have said anything. At the end of the day I should have asked you.”_

By the time he had moved closer to me, reaching out to touch me, but he stops himself.

_“Yes, you should have.”_ I say with annoyance.

_**“Can we please talk about Kalen. I feel like we should tell him I am his father as soon as possible…**_ **”**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Can you believe Clark? Don’t worry he will get his head out of his butt…maybe…
> 
> Thank you for reading and next chapter is being worked on and of course I am LIVING for your comments. They motivate me to write more, better and faster!


	11. The truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kalen learns who Clark kent is to him...

## Midnight: Chapter 11

_**Previously:** _

_**“Can we please talk about Kalen? I feel like we should tell him I am his father as soon as possible...”** _

Currently:

_“He just met you yesterday. I don’t know if we should tell him yet.”_

_“I feel like the sooner the better. He should get to know me as his father.”_

I sigh, still apprehensive about the whole thing. He kept talking.

_“I know you may not like me, but please don’t keep my son away from me.”_

I had a migraine forming as my energy leveled back out. 

_“As much I would like to punch you, I wouldn’t keep Kalen away from you now that you know. We can tell him together and then maybe you can take him tomorrow for the evening.”_

Clark’s face formed a frown. 

_“You won’t be there with us?”_

_“No, you two desperately need some father-son time. Besides I have something to do tomorrow night.”_

Clark looked at me, now he was the one glaring.

_“Gia you leave this house unsupervised and I swear I will melt the door handles so you can’t get out.”_

_“Jokes on you Kent. I am not leaving unsupervised, actually I think I’ll be pretty safe considering everything. I have a date tomorrow.”_

_“Date?”_ He questions me.

_“Arthur asked me out and I’m going.”_

I felt pings of hurt quickly shielded by forced indifference. There was no shock however, which surprised me.

_“What aren't you surprised? Wait a second....you knew already didn’t you.”_

_“I have super hearing, I was headed in this direction it was impossible not to listen. Are you sure about dating him?”_

_“Yes I am. So you’ve got kid duty tomorrow night.”_

He was disappointed but I didn’t dwell on it.

_“I won’t begrudge you a night out. However I think I need to borrow you in the morning.”_

_“Why?”_

_“We have to tell mom.”_

I dropped my face into my hands.

_“Do you need me to be there? Can’t you just tell her?”_

_“Ohhh no. I’m not facing her alone. Besides you might as well get it over with. She is going to demand to see you anyway once she finds out about Kalen.”_

_“Fine I’ll go but I feel like we should write a will for when she kills both of us...”_

##  ***Morning***

I was tired from last night and Kalen was up rather early this morning, and between all the nervousness I had about not only telling Mrs. Kent but also my date with Arthur later, I was unable to get restful sleep. It was about 8:00am and I was standing at the stove cooking some pancakes and bacon when Clark showed up, once again not as Superman but as himself. Kalen didn’t seem to recognize him without the suit and went back to coloring in a book that Alfred acquired for him. 

_“Good morning Gia and Kalen.”_

_“Morning Clark. Have you eaten yet?”_

I asked him to try to be as cordial as I could to him in front of Kalen.

_“If you have any extra I’d like some. You have always made the best pancakes, just don’t tell mom I said that.”_

I giggled at the thought of Mrs. Kent giving Clark a hard time over choosing someone else's food over what he was raised on. I continued to make more pancakes, flipped two of them so they could cook on the other side. 

_“Kalen did you say good morning?”_

_“Momma I don’t know him.”_ He doesn’t look up from his book. 

_“You still need to speak when someone is speaking to you. Mr. Clark said, ``Hi, what do you say?”_

_“ Good morning.”_ Once again not looking up.

_“Look up when you are talking. Address him correctly or I will take the coloring book away. Get it together.”_

He looks up in a panic at my mom voice, then looks at Clark who had been watching the interaction with interest.

_“Good Mo’rning Mister Clark.”_

_“Good Morning Kalen. That looks like a cool picture you are coloring. Can I see?”_

Kalen had been coloring a Jurassic park coloring book. Clark came over, pulling up a chair next to him. 

_“You are a great artist! Who is this tough guy in this picture?”_

He points at the page.

_“That is a T. Rex. He was one of the biggest dinaspours mommy says. She said they aren’t alive anymore, but she said that about Supa’ man too and I just saw him!”_

I watched with interest as Clark digests what his son just says, but the smile never leaves his face.

“ _She is right but who knows maybe they just went to another planet. For now though we will have to settle for a really cool picture colored by you.”_

He hands him a new crayon and Kalen proceeds to talk his ear off, and he enjoys every second of it. I let them clean up the table and announced the food was ready. I brought the plates over to the table. I went to grab some juice and to my surprise Clark was cutting up Kalen’s food for him. It gave me the warm and fuzzies to see Clark interacting with his son. It was something I never thought I’d get the chance to see. I made Clark a plate while he focused on Kalen, and then made one for myself. We ate our food in relative quietness. Once Clark was done with his mountain of food, he looked at me, clearly wanting me to brooch the topic with Kalen. I knew the time had come, especially with the rest of the house still sleeping.

_“So Kalen Baby I wanted to talk to you about something really important. How do you feel about not having a dad?”_

_“I get sad momma. I wish I had a daddy.”_

_“Here’s the thing sweetie. You do and up until now he couldn’t come see you. He would like to meet you if that’s okay?”_

Kalen’s eyes lit up and I don’t think I had ever seen him so happy. 

_“Really momma?! Really?! He comes here to see me?!”_

He was excited and started bouncing around in his chair. 

_“Yes, Kalen he is already here, you see Mr. Clark is your dad baby.”_

He turns and it’s like seeing him for the first time, despite them having just colored together. Clark smiles at Kalen in a comforting way, clearly nervous at the little boys reaction, Kalen still stares, blinking slowly.

“ _It’s really awesome to meet you buddy.”_

_“You my dad?”_

_“Yes son I am. Like your mom said I couldn’t exactly come see you before, and now that I can I want to hang out with you a lot more. Would that be okay with you?”_

_“Yes, Mr. Dad”_

I laughed slightly as Kalen combined the names and Clark’s laughs a little too.

_“You don’t have to call me Mr. Dad. You can call me Clark or Dad, whatever you feel okay with.”_

_“Otay. Can we finish coloring now?”_

Just like that the hard part was over. It was kind of a relief for us to tell Kalen and honestly as excited as he was about meeting his dad, I was very grateful Clark had stepped up. I looked at the clock, noting that we would need to leave soon to get to Mrs. Kent’s house. 

_“Ummm okay you can keep coloring for 15 minutes while mommy goes to get dressed. Then you have to come get dressed, because we are going to go meet your dad’s mommy.”_

I smiled as they continued to interact, I left the room and immediately felt bad, it hit me how wrong it would have been not to tell Clark. I would have deprived them of so many moments, and that wouldn’t have been right. For once I had been glad about the other plans fate had for me. I tried to dress as modest as possible, settling on a soft pink sundress with thin straps and a white cardigan sweater. I did my hair in a bun, with tendrils of hair down around my face. I was finishing up my hair when I heard Clark and Kalen come up the stairs, Kalen still chatting away, I went into the hallway finding Clark had carried him up the steps.

_“You know he is fully capable of navigating the steps right?”_ I asked him with a smirk.

_“That I am aware of. I just wanted to hold him, was that so wrong?”_

I shake my head at the sight.

_“Nope. It’s not. Now I’m going to get him dressed and then we can go. Can you find Bruce and ask if we can borrow one of his cars?”_

_“Sure, it sounds like he is just now getting dressed. I’ll go talk to him.”_

With that Clark goes to leave, and Kalen snaps, crying loudly.

_“Nooooo dad no go yet!”_

I try to calm him and Clark turns back around to stop in front of Kalen. 

_“Buddy, I’m not leaving you. I am just going to go pick up your crayons and dinosaur pictures. I’ll be right back okay.”_

That does not work, I would laugh at the concerned look on Clark’s face if I thought it was appropriate for the time. Clark looks at me, and I hand the small child over to him, and Kalen whimpers folding into his chest and neck. Despite the initial panic, Clark was actually happy that Kalen had reacted like that. I reached up and rubbed the little boys back soothingly.

_“It’s okay Kalen. He’s going to be right back.”_

I say and he just locks his arms on his neck in response.

_“Nooooo!!!_ ” He wails. I can’t take it and I begin giggling. Clark cracks a smile and just adjusts him in his arms for the sake of holding him closer. I resigned myself to the fact that Kalen wouldn’t be letting go of his newfound father anytime soon.

_“Okay. Clark I’m going to pull out some clothes for him to wear. I trust you can get him dressed while I go butter up Bruce and clean up the kitchen.”_

Clark nods as Kalen finishes sniffling. I walk into the room and find something respectable for Kalen to wear to meet his Grandmother in. I leave Clark and Kalen alone, and find Bruce downstairs with Alfred both drinking a cup of coffee. I walked over to the table sweeping up the crayons and picking up the coloring book. 

_“Good morning Bruce and Mr. Alfred. Sorry about the mess we were trying to keep Kalen occupied until I finished breakfast. Speaking of which are you hungry? I made the coffee but I can whip something up really quick?”_

I offered while going to the sink about to wash the dishes we left earlier. 

_“Gia, it’s really alright we have someone, in fact multiple someone’s to take care of that. You don’t have to do that while you are here.”_

_“I mean I have to earn my keep somehow. I don’t want to be in the way. I’m sure having a kid in the house is the last thing you want...”_

I started rambling, a habit I picked up for when I was nervous.

_“Personally Ms. Smith I like having the tot around. Keeps me on my toes.”_

Alfred says.

_“Please Alfred we are past Ms. Smith. Please call me Gia or Midnight. Neither bother me.”_

_“Only if you call me Alfred, the Mr. makes me feel old.”_

I smiled and nodded.

_“And as far as the kid goes Gia. I don’t mind you two being here. Honestly I really can’t hear you in this massive place anyhow. Which also brings me to yesterday, you do realize that I am happy to make sure you and your son are provided for?”_

_“I don’t like handouts.”_

To me handouts were going down a slippery slope that I couldn’t get out of once they got too deep. I had been burned by what I thought was people being nice. Turns out they just wanted things from me.

_“Don’t think of it as a handout. Think of it as a superhero stipend. One of the perks right?”_

His smile is wry, and he takes another sip of his coffee. I considered his offer and honestly it was the only way I could feel okay with staying with Bruce in the interim. I could justify it in my own mind.

_“Fine. I guess we can stay but only until I get everything sorted with this whole mess of people trying to come after me.”_

_“Sounds like a plan. I can hear that Clark is here. You left him on baby duty already?”_

Bruce chuckles as he also browses the paper. 

_“More like Kalen wouldn’t let him go. I tried to get him dressed and have Clark come down, but he was not going for it. I didn’t think that Kalen would get so attached this soon. I mean we told him that Clark was his father and it was like the attachment was instant. He is actually quite shy when it comes to meeting new people. Before he knew who Clark was to him, he still took to him like...like a duck to the water.”_

_“Well young people need their fathers. They can make due without them, but in this case if you have one father figure willing let them be that.”_

I nodded in agreement and then went on with my original purpose.

_“Alright, well Mr. Wayne, is there anything in my stipend for borrowing a car?”_

Bruce raises his eyebrow at that one…

***30 minutes later***

Turned out Bruce didn’t care if I borrowed one of his cars. In fact he said to keep the keys for now while I was there. Ms. A had a day of relaxation in mind while we were gone. Then Bruce offered to have her taken out of state to her nieces house in California. Of course she jumped on an all expenses paid move across the country. She would be leaving us and I wasn’t ready to deal with that. Clark took the wheel and drove to his mother's house, meanwhile I drifted to the first time I had ever met Mrs. Martha Kent...

##  ***Flashback* The night Clark saved me:**

> The flight in Superman’s arms had been more relaxing than I had ever thought flying in someone’s arms could be. I wasn’t able to look down, preferring the darkness of closed eyes to the darkness of the night. I felt really small compared to him and this vast universe he came from. 
> 
> I was alone in it now. I was free from being in bondage, these new powers that I had no clue on how to control. I was curious about where Superman would take me. Probably a police station or a hospital, some place I would have to break free from again. I would cross that bridge when I got to it I supposed. 
> 
> Quicker than I thought was possible, we were landing again, and I slowly opened my eyes once I was sure his feet were on the ground. He put me back on my feet and I looked around, we were surrounded by open fields, the long stalks and grass around us flattened from his landing. I took note of the barn and house in the distance, the night was quieter than I expected considering it wasn’t that late. 
> 
> _“Where are we?”_
> 
> I asked him, my heart beating fast because I came to the realization rather harshly that I let some random guy who I assumed was a good guy, fly me away to go knows where. 
> 
> I mean this wasn’t the first time I made a bad decision, but while my last one got me thrown into a cage and experimented on, this bad mistake could get me killed. I began to panic, and even more so because I was from the city, if I did need to run, there was nowhere to hide. 
> 
> This man could FLY for Christ sakes. He would be able to find me quickly and end me. I started trembling, everything seeming elevated as the beginnings of full panic attack started.
> 
> _“Woah, woah, woah Gia I can hear your heart racing. It’s okay...”_
> 
> Superman steps toward me and in fear I drop to the hard dirt, hands over my face as I curled into a ball. Suddenly, I am overwhelmed with disappointment, confusion, and fear along with the slight undercurrent of determination. I am confused and it feels like having two people in my mind. The emotions were separate and I wasn’t sure where they were coming from, I just wanted it all to stop. I was beginning to blackout, lost in various emotions that I couldn’t control.
> 
> Suddenly I feel a hand on my arm, it’s motion soft, and setting. 
> 
> _“Sweetheart it’s okay. I promise you are safe here. Focus on the sound of my voice and breathe.”_
> 
> The voice was soft and feminine, definitely wasn’t Superman’s, nor was the noticeably smaller hand now on my shoulder. I tried to follow its direction, trying to use the hand as a focusing point rather than fearing it. I could hear sobbing, and small whimpers it took awhile for me to realize that it had been me making those noises. The soft voice had not stopped shushing me, as if maybe I was a child. 
> 
> As the slow breeze drifted over me I grounded myself back in reality. My eyes open, no longer clouded by fear and I come face to face with a woman. Her light brown hair threaded with grays, and soft eyes embedded into face staring down at me. She reaches forward, touching my face gently.
> 
> _“There you are. Come on dear, sit up for us.”_
> 
> I let her help me into a sitting position, looking around, noting that Superman was just off to the side of this woman. Her eyes were still kind and I could tell she meant me no harm. My head was pounding after the rush of all the adrenaline in my system. 
> 
> _“Where am I?”_
> 
> _“You asked me to bring somewhere I thought you would be safe. This is the only place I could ensure that. Gia I can promise no one here will cause you harm.”_
> 
> He comes over and helps me to my feet, and I take a good look at the woman , she is dressed in what could only be considered as mom jeans and a floral patterned shirt. 
> 
> _“Gia this is my mother Martha Kent, we are on her farm here in Kansas”_
> 
> She smiles at her son and I briefly wonder how someone this powerful came from a woman like her. I mean not that I knew anything of her, she could have been just as powerful and only hiding it. She steps forward slightly, holding out her hand for me. I shook it knowing my face had to be full of trepidation.
> 
> _“Clark here told me that he helped save you from some very nasty people, but he also tells me you helped save yourself first. Any young lady that could do that is okay with me. Now come on in the house, you’re a little smaller than me but I’d imagine I’ve got some warmer clothes than what you are wearing.”_
> 
> She smiles then starts walking back to the house, shooting a look of mirth and maybe a knowing look with her son before patting his chest/shoulder area and continuing with her forward motion.
> 
> He looks down with a smirk before looking in my direction motioning me forward. Once I am walking next to him in stride on the pathway to the house I say.
> 
> _“Soooo all these super powers and your real name is Clark?”_
> 
> We both laugh as he leads me up the steps and into the farmhouse...

##  ***End Flashback***

The drive to Martha Kent’s home, a place I had called my home for a number of months following the night I met Clark, had gone much quicker than I anticipated. I thought I’d have more time to prepare, but despite Kalen being sleep in the back of the black Mercedes C5500, the ride didn’t seem long at all.

The car comes to a stop, parking in the driveway and for the first time I feel nervousness from Clark that didn’t help me feel any better about any of this.

_“ Your heart is pounding Gia. Relax.”_

_“Pot meet Kettle.”_ I said motioning from me to him In a surprise move, he grabs my hand gently.

_“It is okay. My mother is way more understanding than you think. I’ll be right by your side the whole time.”_

I look at him, his eyes wide and blue, begging myself not to get lost in the expansiveness of them. I fell back on my tried and true methods of avoidance to ignore the flutter I got from our energy exchange. He was purposely evening out his emotions which I was grateful for, clearing trying to push down his nerves and focusing on positive thoughts. 

He waits until my heartbeat is not as erratic before he gets out of the car, and walking to the front door where Mrs. Kent was waiting. She welcomes him with open arms as she always does, and he smiles wide for her. I look back to Kalen who is still knocked out cold. I smiled to myself at the stillness of the moment, and the. Looking back up to Clark and his mother. I feel her energy change from excitement to concern to happiness. At the happiness she turns to the car.

Clark motions for me to exit the car, still projecting calming energy. I unbuckle the seat-belt, and get out of the car. I leave Kalen in the car, the windows rolled down just enough in the front to hear him clearly if he woke up. Martha Kent’s eyes widened upon seeing me, and tears sprung up in her eyes. 

_“Gia Smith! Is that you dear?”_

_“Hi Mrs. Kent.”_

She holds her arms open wide and smiles. I smile back and fold into her arms. It was a missed feeling as it had been a time I was privy to her hugs all the time. 

_“Oh hush with that Mrs. Kent stuff! You know it’s Martha ‘round these parts. Clark you knew I missed my girl! This was a wonderful surprise dear!”_

_“Ummmm mom, Gia was not the surprise I was talking about when I called you.”_

She looks back and forth between us, just as Kalen wakes up from his nap. Scared that he was now alone in the car. 

_**“MAMA!!”** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reviews and comments make my day so shout out to all of you that took the time to leave them. You guys rock and I promise I see them!


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The reaction of Mrs. Kent

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OH LOOK TWO CHAPTERS!   
> I told y'all, patience of a gnat...

**Midnight: Chapter 12**

**_“MAMA!!”_ **

We all turned our head towards the car. I smile softly at Martha and walk over to the car. Meanwhile Clark ushers her into the house. 

I opened the door to the backseat where Kalen sat with tears in his eyes. 

_“Hey it’s okay Little man we are here. You want to go inside?”_

_“Where dad?”_ He asks me with a small voice. 

_“He is inside too. Come on let’s get you out of here.”_

I unbuckled his seat belt and helped him out of the car, where he reached up for my hand, looking around at the vast land in front of us. He locks in on the small swing hanging from the nearby tree. He tries to pull me toward it, but I don’t let him get far despite his strength. 

_“Baby I will bring you back out here later okay?”_

I could feel the moment Clark must have told Martha, because a large dose of shock hits me as we climb the steps. 

**_“YOU HAVE A WHAT CLARK JOSEPH KENT?!”_ **

I stifle a laugh when she breaks out his full name. I tap on the white screen door despite the front door to the house being open and me being able to see the stairs, not wanting to enter until I was sure everything is okay. I hear Clark tell his mom

_“We can both explain everything, but first we would like you to meet your Grandson. Can we bring him in?”_

_“Do you even have to ask me that Clark? Get them in here now.”_

I can feel the disbelief and anger roll off of her in waves. 

Clark comes to the front door and Kalen yelps in excitement at seeing his father.

_“Dad-dy you here!!!!_ ”

He motions for Clark to pick him up and of course he obliges, giving him squeeze that I’m sure was like picking up a feather delicately. 

_“There’s my tough boy!”_

Kalen is radiating pure happiness and love which balances out the confusion, fear and anger coming from Martha in the kitchen. Clark shoots me a look that says “Be prepared” and I follow him into the kitchen where Martha is waiting. She becomes filled with Love and excitement the second she lays eyes on her newfound grandchild.

_“Ohh my goodness Clark, he looks so much like you at that age, but even more adorable.”_

Ever the shy one, Kalen tucks his face into Clark’s neck, afraid to interact with someone he doesn’t know. I walk up next to them, touching his back again, then moving up to rub the curls in his hair.

_“Sweetheart can you say hi to this nice lady for mama?”_

_“Hi.”_

It’s quick and short, as his small hand grasps at Clark’s collar. I hated that my son got so nervous at meeting new people and I supposed it was my fault because I had spent so much time trying to hide him from the world, he hadn’t had much experience around people.

_“Thank you baby, can you look at Mrs. Kent? She is really important to your dad and we wanna make him happy too right?”_

He nods and un-buries his face slowly, peering nervously through dark lashes. Martha lights up again at seeing his face again. 

_“Hi sweetie. I am your father’s mother. I guess that makes me your grandma. What’s your name cutie?”_

_“Kalen Jo-esph Smith. You are really my grandma?”_

She nods as Kalen smiles in acceptance of the new woman. He doesn’t try to go to her, only pushes at Clark’s hands, too young to know that it’s futile. Clark gets the hint though and sits him down.

_“Do you have any toys Grandma?”_

Her breath hitches in her chest as she tears up at him calling her Grandma. Kalen does not realize the magnitude of what he just called her and instead waits for an answer to his question. I look down at him, and try to distract him from Martha as tears begin to roll down her face. 

_“Kalen baby, I don’t know if Mrs. Martha has toys but how about you take your bag and color her a pretty picture okay.”_

_“But mommy I wanna go outside and play.”_

Clark steps over.

_“Hank is probably due for a walk anyway, How about I take the both outside? While you two catch up.”_

If I thought it would hurt him more than me I would punch him in his handsome face as he calls for Hank the black and white collie dog that had been up until this point lounging in the living room. Kalen leaves out the Kitchen with his father and I am left as the sole target of Martha Kent’s ire, but in a surprise move her face softens.

_“Gia have a seat.”_

I listen with the quickness as she goes over to the stove taking the kettle from the top.

_“Still drink more sugar in your tea than actual tea?”_

I laugh slightly as she brings the kettle over to the table along with mugs, then finding some tea bags, and her sugar bowl. The kitchen was filled with silence as we made our respective cups and took a few sips. Finally Martha fixes a stare on me, I drink more, and get enough courage to look her in the eyes.

_“So did you know at Clark’s funeral that you were carrying his child?”_

_“No. Honestly I had no clue and it wasn’t until I packed up my life and moved that I even realized it. By then however I had cut all contact.”_

_“But once you found out, you never came to me.”_

_“I couldn’t.”_

_“Why? Gia I literally helped nurse you back to health. You were like a daughter to me. You cannot honestly believe I wouldn’t have helped you. Especially with my Grandchild.”_

_“I don’t know.”_

_**“Gia Delilah.”** _

I sighed.

_“Mrs. Kent I...”_

_“What did I just say about the Mrs. Kent?”_

She takes another sip out of her white mug, I follow suit. She looked at me again and I couldn’t lie or in a more specific case I couldn’t withhold the truth anymore.

_“Martha, I was being selfish. I left Metropolis because everything and everyone reminded me of Clark, and when I saw this little ball of flesh in my hands that came out of me that was born of him, I realized that Kalen was all I had left of Clark. I wasn’t his mother, his coworker, his girlfriend... hell at end I wasn’t even his friend. I was nothing at all to anyone when he died. Not even to him.”_

I can feel tears fall down my face, but I can’t acknowledge them by wiping them off. I feel pity pour off of her in droves, which just makes me feel worse. The feeling of heartbreak intermingles in with the pity, and it only amplifies my own. I compartmentalized everything, shouting down the incoming emotions. 

_“At the end of the day, as crazy as this sounds. Not telling anyone was the only way I could think to protect my son from what happened to Clark, coming back to come after him. That night I watched Clark die was honesty one of the worst nights in the short slash long history of my life. When I figured out I was having Clark’s child I vowed in no uncertain terms that I could not lose my child too.”_

_“Oh sweetheart these last few years have not been easy on you have they?”_

Martha reaches over the table rubbing my hand. I shook my head no as I looked away, unable to meet her eyes.

“Look at me Gia.”

Watery Brown meets Brown.

_“I perfectly understand how you feel as a mother the day Clark began to show his powers and all, I feared every single time he left the house. Despite the fact that my son is nearly invulnerable I feared the world for him. And the day that the world took my baby boy away and every day after than I wondered if I had done enough to protect him. Could I have saved him? I have even fooled myself once or twice into thinking I could lock him away. But then I think ‘what good would it do?’ To keep others away from the wonderful man that he is. I had to let others in, and guess what I’m glad I did. It has brought me so much more than just him now. I promised you a long time ago that you would always have somewhere to go and someone that loves you. I didn’t just lose Clark, Gia I lost you too.”_

She cries and I stand up and hug her. I never realized all of the damage did when I left. I thought I was some token relic of Clark’s super heroism. I was reluctant to think I meant anything to anybody. I loved Mrs. Martha like she was my mother too, but I thought she always took to Lois more so than me. She was the daughter that Martha never had, it honestly didn’t occur to me that my presence would be missed by her, not when she gripped Lois’s hand so tightly at the funeral. It seemed I had been wrong. 

_“I am sorry Martha. I should have come to you, should have told you where I was going. I certainly should have told you about Kalen that was foul. Will you please forgive me for that and know that I will not purposefully keep him away from you again?”_

She hugs me back tightly.

_“I forgave you the moment you stepped out that car for leaving. As for Kalen, I understand, doesn’t mean I’m still not a little ticked off at you for not telling me and honestly disappointed in my son for deceiving Lois. That is not the man I raised him to be.”_

I sighed and walked over to the window that showed Clark and Kalen playing with the dog in the yard. I smiled to myself and Clark looked up at me with a smile on his face.

_“You have nothing to fear Martha. Clark was not two timing Lois and as cliché as it sounds Kalen was an “on break” baby. He and I weren’t in a secret relationship behind Lois’ back, I couldn’t do that to her. Without too many details Clark made it clear a long time ago that his heart was with Lois. I respected that always.”_

_“I know you did. You’ve been the self sacrificing type since I met you.”_

My head whips in her direction quickly.

_“Meaning?”_

_“If you don’t know what I am trying to say then you are not ready to hear it.”_

I pondered her words, then not making sense in the context of our conversation. I was mostly just happy that she wasn’t mad at me about this anymore.

_“Don’t overthink it Gia. Let’s make the boys some lemonade and you can tell me more about my grandson...”_

_***A few Hours Later*** _

Clark and Kalen had been having a ball all day, with Clark doing some of the most domestic tasks around the farm, but letting Kalen help him. I could feel Kalen’s energy waning and I figured he would be down for his dinner and a nap soon enough. I took a look at my clock and realized I needed to head home so that I could get ready for my date. 

Martha now had Kalen in the kitchen helping her make cookies to my sons delight. So I called to Clark barely above a whisper as I stood on the wrap-around porch. He comes looking sheepish as we hadn’t much time to talk alone since earlier, he wouldn’t come out from the house.

_“I won’t chew you out for making me face your mother alone you can come outside.”_

The screen door opens and closes and he stands next to me.

 _“Gia I was listening for trouble the whole time.”_ He offers a way to save himself. He didn’t need to, I wasn’t mad at him. I was actually grateful because as nervous as I wouldn't have had the opportunity to clear the air with Martha as I had if he would have been there.

_“Oh I know, that’s the only reason I didn’t chew you out. I called you because I actually need to head back to the manor. I need to get ready for my date, I am positive that Kalen will not leave this house without his cookies, and I think Martha is not ready for him to go. I can take the car home if you want to fly back with Kalen later, after he is sleeping.”_

Clark thinks it over and shakes his head.

“I would like to take him on his first flight when he is awake. Plus I can never guarantee when some government idiots won’t think I’m a threat and try to shoot me down.”

I laughed remembering that time that had happened to him one day while he was a few states over. He came back to the farm covered in soot and mud seeing as they shot him down into a swamp. That had been hilarious. Turned out it had all been a big mistake by the army and they apologized repeatedly but he was always listening for a stray bomb and tried to fly high enough that his impact should he make one not leave anyone is danger.

_“Well I guess I can call a car...”_

_“Or I could fly you home.”_

I looked at him apprehensively.

_“I don’t know...”_

_“It will be fine. I’ve flown with you in my arms plenty of times. You at least can protect yourself if needed.”_

I really didn’t have much of an option.

_“Fine I guess. Let me just let Kalen know I have to leave and that you will bring him to me.”_

He concedes and after we let Martha and Kalen know we were leaving (the latter of which did not care because we didn’t have food for him) we went back out to the field. 

_“Are you ready?”_

He asks me. I wonder if he wants me to get in his back and go to move but he just moves too.

_“Yes, but bend down so I can get on your back.”_

“I hate when people are on my back when I fly. Guess I’m just going to have to do this.”

He shoots me a mischievous smirk down moving forward and grabbing the back of my legs and arm around my waist, making my arms instinctively go around his neck as carries me cradle style. 

_“Waah geez Clark can’t you warn a girl before you do that?”_

He laughs and looks down at my face smiling before saying

_**“Eh... I could but where’s the fun in that ?”** _

Then he takes off causing me to yelp and push my face into his pectoral muscle and grip him tighter as he laughs again into the night...

A/n: So what did you think? Who thought Mrs. Kent was going to strangle Gia and Clark? I thought about it but I need them in the story going forward.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How many of you thought Martha was going to kill Gia and Kent?


	13. Feelings that never manifested...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gia and Arthur go on their date...

##  **Midnight: Chapter 13**

Clark flew me back to the manor in record time, with me up against his chest, smelling just as good as I remembered him to be. It was masculine yet fresh, mixed with something otherworldly as basic as that sounded. He landed on my balcony gently so he didn’t blast right through it on accident. 

I was glad my hair was pulled back or it would have been all over the place. 

_“So I hear this is your stop.”_

_“Yes, thank you for the ride home Clark.”_

_“Of course anytime…Although are you ever going to be ready for my takeoff short stack?”_

I laughed at the old nickname he had for me seeing as he towers over me, my short 5’4 frame to his 6’0 plus. It had been forever since I heard it.

_“Now you know as well as I do that you took off that fast on purpose.”_

_“Doesn’t matter. You are never ready.”_

_“Lies. I’ve been ready plenty of times.”_

He looks at me with a look that says “oh really”. Which makes me laugh and open the door to my room.

 _“Anyways…_ (I say dramatically with an eye roll and then a laugh) _I better go get ready. Thank you again.”_

I can tell he wants to say something but doesn’t as he opens his mouth but closes it, tucking his hands in the red and black plaid jacket he was wearing. 

_“What?”_

I ask him grinning just knowing he has some smart comment to say.

_“Nothing. Nothing.”_

_“Clark. Don’t bullshit me.”_ I say with my head cocked to the side…

_“I’m not. All I was going to say was… have fun. Goodnight.”_

Then he shoots away into the sky, somehow not damaging the balcony.

_“Alright then goodnight Clark.”_

I say no louder than if he was still standing there because I knew he could still hear me. 

##  ***Later***

I heard Arthur’s bike before he actually rang the bell to come inside. I knew Alfred would let him in so I wrestled myself into a pair of black ankle boots that had a small heel and matched perfectly with a purple sleeveless top and tight blue jeans. I grabbed a black leather jacket and went down the stairs, where Arthur was waiting for me. He looked just as good as he did before, his grudge look ever present. 

_“I was going to bring flowers but you don’t strike me as the flower type of chick.”_

_“I am not against flowers, but in my case they aren’t practical in my everyday life. Now we start talking about a bottle of Crown royal or tequila, you know something like that, then we would be talking.”_

He laughs and opens the front door for me.

_“You and I are about to have so much fun tonight.”_

_***A few hours later*** _

_“So you mean to tell me, you never learned how to swim as a kid?”_

Arthur and I were walking along the beach with our shoes in our hands. His date idea had been inventive if anything. We went axe throwing, which until that moment I could say I had never done. He tampered with his strength but had okay aim, I however had great aim. He playfully accused me of cheating. I was waiting for us to have that moment of innate chemistry but it just wasn’t happening, and I didn’t know why. Didn’t even know what the hell the problem was because Arthur was a nice-ish guy. The longer we talked and joked the more I felt like I was hanging with a cool older brother and while I loved that feeling, I didn’t want him to be my brother , but I guess my heart was having other plans. I promised myself however that I would give this a fair shake. In all we were having a good time as we decided to just walk on the beach with a couple of hot dogs and beers. 

_“Nope. Clark had to teach me a while back because he figured it out during a trip to the beach. Shit maybe it was this one.”_

We laugh again as I shake away fond memories of Clark, desperately trying to focus on my date, forgetting how his hands felt holding me against him earlier, and Arthur looks down at me, and judging by his anxiety and slight brace for impact I know he is about to lower some sort of boom. 

_“So what’s the deal with you and Supes? I mean none of us have ever heard of Midnight then all of a sudden there is a kid that looks just like Clark running around and rumor has it his last girlfriend was Lois.”_

It was a natural question for him to ask me, but his tone wasn’t as a man interested in clarification for his own sake but more as a friend asking me. It left me confused but I guess willing to answer. 

_“Ahhh the dreaded question. The deal is that there is no deal. He had been my best friend in a time where I desperately needed one. That is all that has ever been.”_

_“Well that can’t be true because I know how babies are made.”_

He says in a sing song tone, teasing me jokingly. 

_“Yeah well Kalen came about during a time where both of our lives were in flux. One night that changed our lives and subsequently broke apart our friendship.”_

Aquaman looks to the sea and back at me, his face softer than I had ever seen it. He doesn’t speak but he lets me continue.

_“But the blessing is that we got Kalen out of it and I couldn’t imagine my life without him in it.”_

_“I agree your kid is an amazing little fella.”_

_“You know Arthur I’ve had a great time tonight thanks for getting me out the house. I needed this after everything that has been going on.”_

_“I am glad. I aim to please.”_

We stop and look at each other.

_“At least you’ve aim at something out here in these streets.”_

He looks at me incredulously and laughs with me. 

“ _You are so funny, come here girl.”_

He grabs me by my hips and seizes me close to his body. He searches my eyes with his own bright gold ones for a moment, and our faces move toward one another slowly and our lips touch. Our lips slot together and move mechanically. It’s painfully obvious the spark is still missing and hated that I didn’t feel more in this moment because I wanted someone. I wanted someone to make me forget everything about my past feelings, and my past regrets. Our eyes open and we pull back from each other, looking at each other again before laughing.

_**“Well that was anti-climatic wasn’t it?”** _

I say with a smirk and dropping my hands from the strong arms I had latched to when he grabbed me.

_“I think so. Hate to be the bearer of bad news but that was like kissing my little sister.”_

_“I can’t tell if that was a short joke or naw.”_

I ask with a smirk again, knowing it wasn’t but still poking fun at hime

“That was a…I can tell your heart isn’t in this and to be honest as hot as you are I don’t think I want to be on Superman’s bad side.”

I look at him confused and take a step back, arms folded.

_“Meaning?”_

_“Meaning, I imagine there is a Alien superhero that is none too happy with this date. He has already kicked my ass once and that was without all his focus on me, I’d prefer it not happen again full blast.”_

I rolled my eyes frustrated that once again Clark was interfering in my life, except this time he didn’t even have to be here.

_“Clark has no say over my love life.”_

Arthur tilts his head to the side knowingly.

_“I agree he doesn’t have a say over your love life but I think he still has a say over your heart…. god that sounded sappy as hell.”_

I laugh to cover up my nervousness at him being so close to the truth. I didn’t want him to be anywhere near right.

“ _No…no he doesn’t. Look let’s just drop that particular line of questioning.”_

_“Fine, look let me say this and I’m done. Plus all this emotional shit is not my forte. However Gia as bad as I wanted this to work out, I can admit I’ve got other issues that are preventing this from going anywhere serious, maybe you don’t need something serious, maybe you do, maybe later in life once we figure out our shit out we can come back to this, but you got something unresolved with Clark that will stop you from anything working out with anyone until you do. Lying to yourself makes it worse. Trust me I know.”_

I sigh and I almost laugh because I was so confused at how Aquaman became so good at reading people.

_“So Dr. Phil when do you tape your next show?”_

I say with a laugh and scoff.

_“Right after you finish your segment on Oprah about denial. Come on let’s head back to the house.”_

He and I laughed ourselves back to his bike…

 ** _*Wayne manor-12:00am”_**  
  
Arthur and I had determined the failed date wasn’t an actual failure in the fact that we figured out we wouldn’t work. He was my friend and would remain that way for the foreseeable future. A friend was something I needed more than a romantic relationship. He and I both knew it. He told me he had plans to go visit his father up the coast and that he would be in touch. I kissed him on the scruffy cheek and sent him off into the night. I turned to the stairs, the high energy told me Clark had to be near or at least somewhere in the house. I came upstairs and went to Kalen’s room to find the two in Kalen’s bed, which was a large bed because it was still a room in the manor. To no surprise Kalen was out cold tucked in tightly, but Clark was wide awake, patio open with the cool breeze flowing into the room, with him lying on top of the covers next to him.

_  
“I didn’t think you would stay with him after you dropped him off, Ms. Alphonse was going to be listening for him.”_

_  
“I thought you’d be back sooner and I know she told me, but I wasn’t ready to leave him. I feel like I’ve missed so much with him already. The first steps, his first words, the first laugh, all of that.”_

  
Clark was sad and he just brushes his sons hair back, contemplating all of those missed moments.

  
_“Good news is that I taped most of those things and Clark don’t be so hard on yourself there is not much you can do about having been dead and all.”_

He looks down at him sadly, and pushes tightens the cover around him more.

  
_“If I had known about Kalen, I never would have sacrificed myself like that. I couldn’t have left him like that.”_

  
I sat on the other side of the bed, next to Kalen. My voice was soft as I didn’t want to alert him to my presence.

  
_“I know that. I never had any doubt in my mind that you would have been an awesome father at the beginning much like you plan to be now.”_

_  
“Then why would you keep us apart?”_

  
I sigh and motion for him to follow me. Clark was upset and confused and I was still in my feelings about my beach conversation with Arthur. He gets out of the bed and follows me into my room. Lazily, I toss up a noise canceling shield.

  
_“Clark I told you that I was only protecting my son. I saw how the world treated you when you were only trying to protect them. I didn’t want that for him. Would you have wanted that? Knowing that you weren’t here to help him or protect him?”_

  
_“That explains while I was dead. Not why I was alive.”_

I fix an uninterested look on my face despite it being quite the opposite.

  
_“I told you that the other day too. I don’t think you really want to rehash that now.”_

  
He walks closer, chin up and confident. I ignored the tingle I felt seeing him walk like that. It had always done something for me, but now was not the time to dwell on that.

  
 _“Oh but I do Gia. I do because I owe you an apology for those reasons.”_  
I looked at him slightly taken aback.

  
_“An apology? For dying? That was hardly in your control seeing as we all would have died…”_

  
_“No. No. No. I owe you an apology for everything before that. How everything happened between us. I put everyone in a bad situation and most importantly I hurt you.”_  
My eyes burned slightly and I pushed back I shed tears because my pride would still not let me cry in front of him.

  
_“It..I… it’s been a long time ago Clark…”_

  
_“Not for me. It feels like no time has passed at all for me. I still feel like the scum of the earth that hurt one of the most beautiful creatures in his universe.”_

  
I knew he had to be able to hear my heart racing and my lack of breathing, once again my pride was settled in deep and would not let me give in to his soft words like I did before.

  
_“Yes, you hurt me, but I have to thank you. I grew from it. It showed me I had to depend on myself. You were right that night. I was so wrapped up in you that I couldn’t see me anymore. I thought you would always be there and when you weren’t I realized I wasn’t standing on my two feet, I was leaning on you. I had to realize that there may be superheroes in the world but in the end you’ve got to get your own shit together and for Kalen’s sake that had to happen quickly.”_

  
_“Gia I don’t want credit for the woman standing in front of me.”_

He shakes his head as if to disassociate himself.

 _“Too bad.” I_ toss at him

_“I’m glad you haven’t lost that flippant mouth of yours.”_

He smirks and I go over to my closet, looking for something to wear to bed.

_“Now why would I lose my best quality? Cursing and sarcasm are my native language.”_

  
_“Yes I know Gia, that’s why I used to have to try and sweat it out of you at training. You don’t have all of that mouth when you are sweating and out of breath.”_

  
I chuckle but flashes of another time where I had been too out of breath and sweaty with him that had nothing to do with exercise to talk, that had started to race through my mind. I shook my head to clear it. 

  
“ _Yeah whatever Kent.”_

  
_“Gia I can’t change the past but I can help shape the future. I want you to know that i am here for you. You can depend on me. I’m going to be here.”_

  
I knew my smile didn’t reach my eyes. I wanted to trust the words he was saying but every time I almost gave in, my heart wouldn’t let me. I could pretend I didn’t know what I wanted but Arthur had been too right on that. I would never be able to love if I let this thing with Clark hold me back. Not if I still loved him. 

_“Fine. If it’s what you want to hear Clark I forgive you.”_

_  
_He growls and it’s one of the first times I’ve ever heard this from him. He fixes me in place, with a look that tells me I cannot run from him.

  
_“GIA! That’s not the answer I am looking for and you know it!”_

_  
“WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO FORCE ME TO FORGIVE AND FORGET?! Kal you think that after all of this time you get to come into my life and call the shots? You get ANY fucking say over what I do or my emotions? News FUCKING flash Kal you don’t! I am not that scared 20 year old girl you saved anymore! I wasted so much time living for what you wanted of me. Trying to be the girl you needed on some foolish hope that I could be the one who you saw as your equal.”_

  
I turned away from him too deep in my rant to stop now.

  
_“You have no clue how many nights I cried over you! How I tore myself up and down because I considered both you and Lois my friends knowing that she was perfect for you in a way that I could never be. I let go of her and your mother in my life because I was consumed with the crushing guilt that I loved you. I loved you to the detriment of everything else, including myself. I knew you would break my heart and I still handed it to you on a silver platter with the small hope you wouldn’t and what did you do? You fucking stepped on it. You put it in back in your pocket and walked back to her. You basically told me ‘Fuck your feelings’ to my face, and begged me to stick around to watch her get to live the life I wanted with you. You say you don’t want the credit for the woman I am now and truth is you don’t get all of it, but you certainly left enough material to craft her from. You don’t get to come back smiling, with a half ass apology and say I’m wrong for protecting the pieces that were left of my heart that now reside in my son.”_

  
I had a wall blocking out everyone else’s emotions because I could barely deal with my own, much less anyone else’s. I knew I couldn’t handle the pity Clark had to be radiating at this moment. I knew I had to be crying but it was all out there now, why would I hide my tears now? I continued talking in his silence.

  
_“I don’t blame you for picking Lois. She is amazing , perfect and driven, gorgeous everything I am not. I don’t know why you aren’t together now, but I won’t hate you for loving her. I can’t..”_

He stops me mid-sentence.

  
_“Gia, Lois and I are over. Besides her husband would be mad at you assuming she would come running back to me.”_

_  
“Husband? But you two disappeared when she snapped you out of that whole killer ken doll mode you were in when you woke up.”_

He shook his head moving closer to me and I didn’t move back.

  
_“She came because Bruce asked her to and despite everything she is my friend. I need you to know she wasn’t the one who broke me of that darkness. It was you.”_

  
My jaw dropped and it was only then that I backed up from him.

  
_“What? No, you know better than to lie to me.”_

  
I shake my head in disbelief, his words still not computing to my frazzled brain.

  
_“It was your voice that snapped me out of that haze. Are you blocking again Gia. You always block when you aren’t ready to hear the truth but this is it. You are absolutely right…about everything. I still don’t how I managed to mess everything up so badly between us, but I do know I will spend the rest of my life regretting it if it costs me you forever. Please Gia don’t walk away again. I can’t watch you leave when I shouldn’t have let you go the first time..”  
_

##  _***Flashback*** _

  
_“GET OUT NOW KAL- EL!”_  
  
Gia stood before Clark in a t-shirt, hair in wild curls, her eyes red and glistening with un-shed tears. Her heartbreak was hurting Clark. The day he woke with Gia in his arms had been amazing. Being with her had been everything he had imagined it would be and more. He got out of her bed, walking to the bathroom, a short distance from the bed. Making love with Gia hadn’t been something he ever thought was possible and certainly he had not planned, but it had been something he wanted. 

>   
> He had every intention on seeing Gia this morning , but as he left the bathroom he heard his phone going off in the next room. The phone had been a text from Lois. She sent an old photo from some New Years party, both of them filled with happiness, Lois being slightly buzzed and looking at him with Love in her eyes. Love in both of their eyes, because it was what they had. The guilt of still loving Lois and yet the odd duality of loving Gia. He never thought he could love two people, but he did and with Lois’s text, he made the decision to go back to her, not light heartedly, He also knew that Gia would understand how he felt about Lois. Maybe? I mean to be honest this all could have been just sex for her, and as much as it hurt him to think that, it a real possibility. Last night could have just been fate’s mild reward for a job well done. Maybe a way to remind him of his happiness and not have it be directly related to anything Superhero.
> 
>   
> He was latching to Lois because she was a comfortable space for him, meaning with Lois he was himself mostly. He can handle being her hero. He was used to being everyone else’s superhero. So it was second nature to fall back into that role where he knew where he stood. 
> 
>   
> But Gia. She made him feel unstable and yet oddly free. He didn’t have to be her Superhero, he could just be Clark Kent. The man from Smallville with regrets and fears. He didn’t have to be perfect because she didn’t expect that from him. She was just his friend asking for nothing more from him and he was the stupid one that fell in love with her. He never knew where he stood with her because once she healed, she was damn independent and strong willed. She was unpredictable and He loved that about her, and he knew if given the space to grow she would flourish. Clark didn’t want to be selfish and tie her to him when she spent a chunk of her life in a cage. He might be Superman, but she could do better than him and maybe distance would help him not love her anymore the way that he did. 
> 
>   
> So he chose Lois, but not for the right reasons, now here he was standing in the small but nice apartment that he had helped Gia move into, with her kicking him out of her life. He hadn’t wanted that, some space to breathe so he could get over her, but forever?
> 
>   
> No. That wasn’t the plan he had in his head. To just never see her again, pretend he hadn’t spent this last year loving her, that he didn’t need to see her? 
> 
>   
> He respected her and her need space so he would leave for now, because if she could feel any of the love he had for her, like he had to be feeling then it was obvious it was not returned.

  
_“I’ll go Gia because it’s what you’ve asked of me, but I can’t not see you as in forever. I am…not that strong.”_

>   
> He admits, subconsciously hoping she will ask him not to go, admit to him that he hadn’t been falling in love alone, because let’s face it. His gut was telling him she was where he needed to be. His cowardice of not being enough, the fear of the unknown with her, was what was making him leave. 

Gia does exactly what he knew she always had the power to do. 

_“You are going to have to be. Besides Don’t be so dramatic, I am only giving you what you wanted from the beginning when you asked me if I had anywhere to go. I’m setting you free of me for good just like you would have the night you rescued me. Goodbye Kal-El.”_

> She had the power to break his heart unlike no one ever had. Not even Lois and that was saying something because before Gia blasted her way into his life, he thought Lois was the only one with that power. 

> **Turns out Gia was the powerful one in that aspect too. She was way more powerful than she knew when it came to him.**

> He turned the door knob to let himself out, doing his best to bottle up how destroyed he felt despite bringing all of the moment down on himself.

_“Goodbye Gia.”_

>   
> He flies far away until he can’t hear the sound of her tears anymore, punching a mountain and dirt until he is winded and he has tears running down his face…

_***End Flashback***_  
  
I stare at Clark at his words that hung in the air, the tension building up before I open my mouth to speak.

  
**_“What do you mean you shouldn’t have let me go?”_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/n: SOOOOO what do you think? Still dislike Clark? How about Arthur and Gia? who is disappointed and who is happy? 
> 
> Please know I am immensely grateful for every comment, bookmark and kudos this gets. Every single one of you makes my day! It pushes me to write faster and faster despite of everything that I do on a everyday basis! Next chapter is in the works!


	14. Out in the Open

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gia gets an unexpected visitor...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/n: Hey everyone! I am back again! Did you all enjoy my last chapter?

Midnight: Chapter 14

**Previously:**

> _“Are you blocking again Gia. You always block when you aren’t ready to hear the truth but this is it. You are absolutely right...about everything. I still don’t how I managed to mess everything up so badly between us, but I do know I will spend the rest of my life regretting it if it costs me you forever. Please Gia don’t walk away again. I can’t watch you leave when I shouldn’t have let you go the first time..”_

**_“What do you mean you shouldn’t have let me go the first time?”_ **

## Currently:

I felt my stomach drop but in a way that I couldn’t understand. Clark is staring at me, his blue eyes capturing me and I’m conflicted on whether to run into his rather large arms or slap him across his dumb handsome face, damn the wrist sprain I’ll suffer. 

_“I should have fought harder for you. I got cold feet about what we could have been and I stayed comfortable rather than trying something new. I messed up badly and all I’m asking for is the opportunity to make it right.”_

I roll my eyes and poke him in his chest. Feels like I am poking a wall but I don’t care. Clark doesn’t give any indication that I've poked him, only looks at me as softly as he did before.

_“Is this about your conscious? This feels like you are apologizing to get that guilt off your chest. Clark I told you a long time ago and just now that you don’t have to feel bad about loving Lois. She was a natural choice. She is gorgeous, red hair, soft eyes, driven, accomplished. Who wouldn’t want someone like that? It was okay that you loved her. You don’t need to apologize for that.”_

He laughs slightly and says

_“Yes Lois is all of those things. And Yes there was a time where I thought she was it for me. You, however are more than that, you always have been. Now, here you are, the mother of my child and all I want is you.”_

There it was.

Clark didn’t want me truly, he just wanted the family. What the good ole’ Bible Belt told him he needed to do and be when you had a child. I shake my head in disbelief that he thought I would fall for something like this. That I would fall into his arms because of a child. Here I was about to foolish again, believing that there was anything for me in his heart. I step even further away, snatching up the pj’s that I pulled out and going over to the bathroom. I didn’t even have the heart to yell at him. I was tired of the yell and the explaining of myself and emotions to Clark fucking Kent. I didn’t feel like trying to re-program him and trying to make him see sense. If he didn’t understand my feelings weren’t for playing around and weren’t for him to call on for a ego boost by now, then he never would.

I had one child to raise, I didn’t need other in Clark’s teenaged behavior. I knew I would never not love him. It was clear as day, I never could forget this, but I also know if I didn’t put an end of this AGAIN then it would build until I felt like I could do was run away again. I would take Kalen and run and that would only make things harder for me and Clark to co-parent. It was a shitstorm of epic proportions that needed a conclusion.

_“Kal you can stay in the room with Kalen all you want. You two should bond, but as far as you and me goes. There isn’t a you and me. We can learn to be friends again, make that part work for the sake of Kalen. Goodnight Kal-El.”_

The kicked puppy look Clark shoots me, almost made me think he was serious. I knew Clark and he was just reeling from having gone down knowing he had an almost Fiancee to waking up and having her married to someone else. It had to be jarring for him and now he was looking for comfort in having a family, to feel normal again. He was willing to settle with me. 

I didn’t want his pity settlement/ entitlement.

I closed the door to my bathroom, listening for the door to my room to open and close. When I did I let out the breath I had been holding. He didn’t love me. Not in the way I still loved him...

***Two days later***

I watched with the rest of the world as trash and war ships were dumped back on the land, and I worried for my friend. Arthur wasn’t the type to keep a phone and considering he was spending most of his time in the water. He was unreachable, and I worried as the various news channels tried to identify him. The worry for Arthur helped take my mind off Clark as terrible as that sounded. 

I was avoiding him like the damn plague and that was because I didn’t trust myself around him. It was easy to avoid him when he radiates so much energy, and in case he tried to alter his emotions to get to me, I had them off every time I knew he was in the area.

I of course looked after Kalen but I made sure to stay clear of him, Ms. A doing her best to be a bumper between the two of us. I hated that she was leaving me. She had become the grandmother I never had, always being around to help and love on Kalen. It was for her own protection but as I sat on her bed, watching her pack the things Bruce purchased for her while Clark took Kalen to the farm with his mother, I was sad.

_“Pick up your face child, I’m moving not dying.”_

She jokes and folds a sweater away into the black suitcase.

_“Yes but California is far away Ms. Alphonse.”_

_“Yes, but think about how you and Kalen can come visit me in the warm weather! My niece wants to meet you!”_

I smile.

_“I want to meet her too. We will plan a trip soon, Kalen and I.”_

_“And Clark.”_

I roll my eyes and huff.

_“I think he needs to stay around here, can’t solve crimes that far away.”_

_“The man can fly, I don’t think that’s the problem. Oh and don’t think I haven’t been noticing you avoiding him. Always sending me in with Kalen when he is here. I’ve been going along with it, but you do know that is coming to an end right?”_

_“Yes I realize that, but then I’ll just have Alfred do it.”_

_“Gia. Why are you avoiding the man? Do you know he asks about you every time he sees me? Looks shattered when I tell him I don’t know.”_

_“Long story short he thinks that a family will fix all of his abandonment issues. I decided a long time ago I was done with the wrangling of a superhero.”_

Ms. A laughs at me which makes me pout slightly.

_“Why is that a bad thing? If he wants to be a family with you...I mean you can’t get much better than Superman.”_

_“That’s Just it. I’m just me, he is Superman. He can have any woman he wants. He is only trying this because Lois got married and his own upbringing says you should have a family together with your child’s mother. I know him, it’s only a matter of time before he realizes again that I’m not it. I’d rather avoid the heartbreak later by ending it now.”_

She comes back over to her bed, sitting next to me before pulling me into a hug.

_“Baby I know you’ve been through a lot in your life and I also know that when someone burns you you think the best thing to do is cut the head off. It’s like a Hydra it always grows back with two more heads. The real question is are you fixing it or hiding it away? I’m going to tell you right now that you are only hurting yourself.”_

_“I need to hurt myself before someone else does.”_

_“Gia baby that is no way to live...”_

***At work***

I was at work again much to everyone’s chagrin, but Victor was on a remote babysitting duty tonight. I knew I was going to have to quit because of those people that had taken me before found my house so quickly, it would only be a matter of time before they tracked me down again, but in this case more time out of the house meant I was less likely to run into Clark. It was the middle of the week, meaning we had a few regulars but no large crowds which was good for me. I was washing out some tumblers and hand drying them for later use, when a throat cleared behind me. I turned around and almost dropped the glass I was cleaning when I found Lois sitting at the bar. This was the last place I expected to see her but her face gave no indication as to why she was there.

_“Oh wow... Look Lois, if you are here to slap me then come on get it over with. I already feel like shit.”_

_“Is that how you greet all your old friends?”_

She says with a wry smile in my direction.

_“Only the ones that want to fight me.”_

_“Well then pick a different greeting then because I am not here to fight you Gia.”_

I raised an eyebrow.

_“Really? You aren’t just saying that to get a drink on the house are you?”_

I smile slightly and go to make the drink I always knew was her favorite. She takes a long sip.

_“This drink might actually be heaven great job. Now let’s cut the bullshit and get to why I am really here.”_

She says to me and takes another sip.

_“There’s the Lois I know.”_

_“Exactly. The Lois who is a friend or at least thought she was AND has a few questions.”_

_“Okay break me down reporter.”_

_“Clark told me about your son together. I have a few questions I need answered woman to woman.”_

I sighed, I knew the woman to woman talk was going to have to happen eventually.

_“Alright. How about you head over to the booth, I’ll take my break and we can talk.”_

She agrees and takes her drink, her camel colored mid length coat covering the nice clothes that clearly signified she came from work to talk to me. It didn’t bode well for me because that meant she has been thinking about this all day. She was going to chew me out and I was going to have to let her because let’s face it, I was the third in a duo whether I meant to be or not.

I signaled my coworker to watch the bar for me, even though there was only a few patrons in at the moment. 

I slide in across from her, a glass of water in front of me. I eye her nervously, surely picking up on her energy, but she is radiating a swirl of things the most prominent being nerves, confusion, sadness all tied together with happiness. 

Very unsettling considering everything 

_“So As I said Clark told me that you two have. Son together. He also told me about the timeline of his conception. I guess I can’t truly say that he cheated with you because he didn’t but in a odd way it kind of feels that way slightly. Like when he and I took that break it was because I wasn’t sure his heart was in it anymore, plus all that stuff with Bruce and I needed time to think. It hurt to think he was able to be with you so easily. I’ve made peace with that. What I really want to know is why you left? At the end of everything we were friends, you could have asked me for help.”_

_“Lois yes we were friends but be real, if I had come to you immediately after Clark died and said ‘aye yo’ sis I know you loved him and everything, but he and I did the deed and now I’m carrying your dead boyfriend's child’ Lois I know you. You would have absolutely hated me and never believed that it was only the one time.”_

She had the grace to look ashamed.

_“Maybe at the beginning. I would have still understood and as I said you were my friend. I was more upset about you abandoning me once Clark died than anything. I thought we were better than that.”_

I looked at her saddened, somehow feeling more terrible than I had about anyone because she had been a good friend to me. 

_“We were. Maybe I shouldn’t have left, but I couldn’t handle you and Martha hating me. I already felt like an invasive species in your world.”_

_“You weren’t and I’m sorry if I never expressed that you weren’t. Besides, I should have bowed out a while ago.”_

I looked at her confused as she took another drink. I followed suit with my water.

_“Huh?”_

_“Gia how long have you been in love with Clark?”_

I know I looked like a deer in headlights as I stared at Lois, who only had a small smirk on her face as she watched me panic. This had been one of my fears. That I would have to look her in the eyes and explain that had sat in her face smiling all the while loving her man. It was shady as fuck at best.

_“W..wwhat do you mean? I don’t love him.”_

_“So now we are going to sit in each other’s faces and lie? Come on Gia, I am a Pulitzer Prize winning investigative journalist and at the end of it all, I am a woman. I knew. I choose to ignore it because I was being selfish, trying to hold on to something that was never meant to last. Honestly, trying to keep up with a superhero? Knowing he was out facing evils and putting himself at risk? Knowing I had no way of stopping it? One of the reasons I needed to think without him was I was coming to the realization that I wasn’t cut out for feeling helpless. That’s never been me.”_

I still didn’t want to say it out loud.

_“Gia all I am asking for is a little honesty. Don’t let poor little ole me go into the world thinking I’m crazy, when I know I’m not.”_

_“Fine. I guess it didn’t start that way and I know he was completely dedicated to you. I thought at first it was like me being young and dumb, you know that public figure crush that everyone gets when faced with an attractive public figure, then maybe I thought it was a whole bonding because of the trauma, then I don’t know what happened. And I tried not to feel that way. Honest Lois I did, because it was hopeless for me to feel that way. I was learning to be okay with being his friend. Then that night happened. It changed everything.”_

_“And how did he tell you he was still going to be with me.”_

_“After he disappeared on me for a week, he came by and told me that he and I shouldn’t be around each other.”_

I left out the part that I saw them together first, and until that moment I was holding out for him to come back to me.

_“Clark has always had foot in mouth syndrome. He is very intelligent but sometimes he just says the wrong thing.”_

_“You can say that again, Jesus.”_

We laugh and somehow it gets serious again as awkwardness fills the room.

_“ That night that Clark died was certain about your feelings. I was grieving him but the way you grieved him was different. It almost felt intrusive to watch how you sat next him and just cried, your hand on his, literally trying to push energy into him, you don’t even realize you were begging him not to leave you, it was so quiet and heartbreaking that if I hadn’t been listening over his chest I wouldn’t have heard you at all. It was like a private moment that you shared with him, even in death.“_

I was shocked. Everything was such a blur that night. I didn’t remember asking Clark not to leave.

_“I felt even worse when I found the ring he had for me.”_

_“It was a beautiful ring.”_ I noted.

_“I didn’t tell anyone when I found these.”_

She pulls out two envelopes. One with her name and the other one for me.

She sides mine across the table, and I pick it up recognizing Clark’s neat writing, indicating that he took his time, because it was impossible to be that neat if he was rushing versus him taking his time.

_“I was upset when I read mine, but I never had any intention on not giving you yours. Like I said you disappeared.”_

The paper feels heavy in my hand and I don’t want to open it. 

_“I never read it just an FYI. The letters were hidden in his stuff in the apartment. I actually found the ring a while before I found these. My letter basically said that he loved me and he always would but I didn’t deserve to be with someone who couldn’t give me their whole heart. He wished that he had the courage to say that to me, that our time together had made everything he’d done in his life worth it and hoped that someday we would be friends.”_

I looked at her shocked. Clark had actually planned on leaving her?

_“I..Lois..I don’t know what to say...”_

_“There is nothing to say. Just read your letter.”_

_She shrugs and I open the slightly brown envelope._

> _**Dearest Gia,  
>    
> I am writing this letter to you because I’ve always been better with the written word than talking. The confidence I have in spades on a normal day disappears when I am around you. I want to say that I regret not staying with you. It’s not that I don’t love Lois but you walked out my life two weeks ago and I haven’t been okay since. It’s like you took all of my hopes, dreams and happiness with you. This is why I am breaking things off with Lois for good. I can’t love her that way now that I have experienced being with you. The mistake I made haunts me night after night and I can’t sleep, not without feeling you next to me. I’m not a creeper” as you would have called me, but most of the time I stay up watching your apartment and hoping you change your mind. Ask me to come back to you.  
>    
>  There are so many things I want to say to you and I can’t because you don’t want me... at least not the way I want you. You were perfectly okay with being my friend, and I ruined it by not being able to stop myself, because I had to have you. Even if it was for only one night, one night that you entrusted me to be with you and I ruined it as soon as I possibly could. This letter is the only chance I suspect I’ll ever have to tell you exactly how I feel, because if I know anything about you, once you dig your heels in about something then that’s it. That goodbye you spoke to me felt final, and I am not okay with that, but I can’t deny you from whatever you want from me.  
>    
> However, I cannot let you leave my life without telling you that I love you. I know that you don’t feel that way for me and I selfishly wished you did because I could call you mine. Finally.   
>    
> As I said in the earlier part of my letter I’ve never been good with voicing my feelings, especially around you. The feelings I have for you run deep and maybe someday when I see you married or with someone else’s child I’ll get over you, but   
> I don’t think I’ll ever be able to get over you.   
>    
> This letter is getting long and I’ve probably taken your attention away from someone who has a chance with you. I won’t bother you again, but I do want you to know that   
> I’ll always listen for your voice,   
> I’ll always come when you call for me.  
>    
> Yours,  
>    
> Clark Joseph Kent** _

I looked back up at Lois with my eyes and face wet.

_“I meant it when I said I should have bowed out a long time ago. I told you I never read your letter, but if it says what I think it does then my suspicions before i had a conversation with him were correct. The reporter in me wanted to read it, but my morals wouldn’t let me intrude on a private moment between the two of you, plus I honestly didn’t know how I would deal with reading if I had said something to you that I wasn’t ready to accept. If your letter was anything like mine then it was personal and I knew what it said. Clark looked at me like I was the only woman in the world for him, but you Gia... Gia, he looked at you like you hung the moon. At first I didn’t understand why it wasn’t me, what was it about you besides the whole power thing? I realized that while I was Clark’s biggest cheerleader, he didn’t need a cheerleader, he needed a partner. Someone he can pass the ball to when it gets too tough for him mentally and in your case physically as well. I can be there for him and be proud of everything but I don’t think I won’t be able to fully understand what you all go through in your lives. I can write about hard decisions but I’ve never had to make them.”_

Her words hit me right in the chest as I felt her sadness. I could tell what she had just told me hadn’t been something easy to admit to herself much less another person. 

_“I am so sorry Lois.”_

_“Don’t be sorry for me. I don’t need that. I met my husband Matthew not too long after that letter and it’s been a worldwide adventure and I realized that my hero can be a regular guy. Matt has been a saving grace more than I can count. If you two can make each other happy then just know that if it helps you have my blessing. All I am asking for is that even if you don’t want to be with Clark can you at least go see him? He is starting to emit a permanent aura of doom and gloom. I’m surprised you can’t feel it.”_

_“I’ve kinda been blocking all incoming emotions anytime he is around. I didn’t want to have to feel the pity, the guilt, the complacency he would have to be with me. I didn’t know any better.”_

Lois shakes her head with a smile.

_“You two deserve each other because you are both impossible. Blind leading the blind.”_

I laugh with her and glance over at my coworker who is watching me as well and I realize how much of a mess I had to look like. He looked like he was going to come over any second but I shook my head no once we made eye contact. Lois looks over at him and offers him a head tilt and then looks back at me. She gets up and grabs her bag and coat that she took off once she sat down in the booth. Once prepared to leave she turns to me with a fixed yet soft stare and says

_“Please go and see him.”_

_“I will.”_ I agree and try not to let it show how much I would like to leave at that very moment to tell him.

_“Good. Stay in touch Gia, I didn’t just come to be Clark’s wing...girl. I came to get my friend back.”_

She offers me a hug and I take it. 

_“I’ve missed you Lois Lane.”_

_“Oh don’t worry you won’t get rid of me now, because you are way too fucking hard to track down. Also let me tell you that I swear if you make me track you to a strip club again I will hurt you.”_

I sighed, and did my best to look nervous. The strip club had not been my finest hour, but the only saving grace was that I’d only been a bartender there too. However the people there were nicer than any other job I had ever had since then, I didn’t think anyone could find out about that.

_“Alright alright already. Get out of here, I’m sure you are expected home by now.”_

She agrees with a laugh and goes on her way.

At my return to the bar, my co-workers look at me nervously as if I was going to burst into tears again at any second. I ponder how quickly I can leave to go find Clark. 

_“I’m fine John. You can stop holding your breath. I won’t cry on you.”_

He visibly relaxes at my joke.

_“Damn all this time Tiffany, I’ve been waiting to be a shoulder for you to cry on.”_

_“With those lines you will be waiting for a long time...”_

**with that I count down the time until I could leave to find Clark...**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Did anyone need Kleenex? I did and I wrote it lol Good news is that Gia now knows exactly how Clark feels about her. Will they finally stop dancing around each other. 
> 
> Thank You for reading. I appreciate every comment. I promise you I am going to do better with responding to the comment that I left because I really enjoy them and don’t want them to stop!


	15. The Way Back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gia Flashesback to a very important moment in her life

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright so heres the smut! I advise you not to read if your don't liek smut. I will be putting a brief summary at the end because this chapter is...  
>  well mostly smut.

##  ***Flashback***

_“Come on Clark you gotta tighten up my dude. This shit is not cute.”_

I was standing in the bedroom to his room at his mother's house, in jeans, yellow t-shirt 70′s writing of the words BOSS, across the chest, my silver hoop earrings and freshly applied cherry carmex. Mrs. Martha had called to to come drag Clark from his self imposed shut down, so instead of a quick mall trip by my lonesome, I was here. He and Lois broke up two weeks ago and he went from optimistic to wanting to follow her to the assignment she picked up overseas (and I told him that might be a bad idea if Superman got a rep for stalking women) he was now in the depression stage. Martha has enough of him not coming out of his room (he also couldn’t go back to the apartment he shared with Lois.) and requests for chocolate and junk food.

Apparently I was the big guns, and I had no clue how bad it was until just now standing in the doorway to the room. It literally had enough empty bottles to become a recycling plant. He was giving me teenage boy vibes and this was a grown ass man.

The part of me that wanted Clark for myself was kind of happy that he and Lois weren’t together but a bigger part of me was crushed for my best friend. I knew how much he loved her, how he planned on proposing to her next month on their anniversary. I could feel how upset he was and I wanted him to feel better. 

_“Gia what are you doing here?”_

_“I came to figure out why my best friend has been dodging my phone calls for two days the. I find out he is back at home with his mother and is doing his best to become part of the furniture.”_

_“I’m sick Gia.”_

I stare at him pointedly. 

_“Kiss my ass your sick....That would work if you were human Clark. You can’t catch a goddamn virus. Now if you had told me a stomach ache I might have believed you. Get your lying ass up dude!”_

I walked into the room, and sat at the foot of his bed. He had the covers pulled over his face. He had reached the grief stage and it was not good. I started pulling on the covers trying to inch it down and it worked for the whole of two seconds before he put a stop to that. 

_“Gia I just want to be left alone.”_

I raise an eyebrow and look around in the chaos.

_“If this room is any indication to go by you cannot be trusted to be left to your own devices.”_

 _“Giaaaaa.”_ He groans out and I stifle a giggle, because I know he is in pain but the whine he did was kinda hilarious.

_“Kaaaal.”_

I copy his tone and then he sighs and pulls the cover tighter. It was my turn to sigh. I kick off my shoes, and walk over to the opposite side of the bed that Clark was laying on.

I focus all my energy into my hand and yank at his cover, having just enough force to pull it away, however I don’t yank it completely off of him, choosing to slide in next to him.

Clark’s big blue eyes look about as sad as I had ever seen him and his hair looked slightly overgrown and he was growing a beard, only clothed in a pair of shorts. Laying down next to him, I reached up to his face, because the face of the strongest man in the world did not look like the strongest. 

_“Clark you have got to come face the world sometime.”_

_“Does it have to be today? The world is probably the reason she left. I was so busy saving it that I bet she didn’t want to stay around.”_

_“Yes boo it has to be today. You can’t sit in here day after day, it won’t make her come back. I’m not saying it isn’t hard to get over something like this but the first step is to try.”_

_“What if I don’t want to try?”_

_“Well I guess we could lay here all day? I mean I may or may not start doing my Britney Spears impressions, then maybe I’ll move on to Miley Cyrus, because I know just how much you love that Party in the USA song, then maybe a little “Girl on Fire” by Alicia Keys....”_

_He doesn’t move_

_“ Ooh baby, baby, ohh Baby baby”  
_

_“Okay okay. I’ll get up just please no singing.”_

I start laughing as Clark flips the covers back, and gets up. I knew he absolutely could not stand those songs and/or artists. I couldn’t help but look him over, his body just as fit as ever, slightly jealous that he could spend multiple days eating and drinking nothing but crap and still look like you could grate cheese on his abs. 

**-“Stop it Gia.”-** I told myself because I knew I couldn’t go down that road of thinking.

_“So now that you got me out of bed what do you want me to do.”_

**-‘Get back in.-’** Says my inner-thoughts. Outwardly I say

_“I think you need a day out. Get dressed Kent. I’ll wait for you downstairs.”_

I pull myself from his bed and start walking, slightly tripping over something on the floor.

“Oh and you need to clean up this mess before we leave, Ms. Martha is not about to chew me out for your mess. No sir.”

“M’am yes M’am.” He says with a look that didn’t scream America Golden boy, but something that was up to no good. 

He says cheekily and half ass salutes in my direction. I toss up my middle finger in his direction and start singing, ‘She’s just a girl, but she’s on fire...’, much to his annoyance, and close the door to his room on the way out, knowing he can hear me all the way down the stairs and even is whisper, which annoys him even worse...

## *Later that night*

_“Clark you are such a cockblocker!”_

> We were standing near the exit outside of a bar in Metropolis. We had been there about an hour and a half, Clark had a couple of beers while I sipped on a drink. I left him at the table to get us another round and some shots when a good looking guy walked over to me. He was tall, fit and looked like he kept himself together with a neat fade all waved out and a swagger about himself. Also his emotions were quite even keeled. Which was nice and rare for a change of guys coming up to radiating all the emotions of someone only looking to bone. He introduced himself as Terrance, and I gave him my name. We were talking for all of 10 minutes when Clark walked over to where we were standing, and I had just finished laughing at something Terrance had said, Clark puts his hand on my lower back and says

> _“Gia darling I’ve been looking for you. Did you get the drinks? Oh who is your friend?”_
> 
> I glared at him and then said _“This is Terrence, Terrence this is my friend Clark.”_
> 
> Clark shakes his hand but I can tell he puts just a little too much force behind it because the guy winces ever so slightly and Clark emotions go from protective, jealous to pleased.
> 
> I fight the urge to roll my eyes and instead look at Terrence.
> 
> _“It was cool to meet you both, I’ve got to get back to my friends.”_
> 
> He was scurrying away before I could even say goodbye. It was then that I dragged Clark outside.

_“What do you mean Gia?”_

_“Don’t play dumb with me Alien boy.”_ I say the last part in a whisper and poke him in his chest.

_“I didn’t do anything.”_

_“So you are going to act like you didn’t just almost break ole’ boys hand in there?”_

At this he laughs slightly, but it was at least more of a genuine laugh than I had gotten from him in a few weeks.

_“I wasn’t going to break it. I just wanted to see how he held up. If he even wants the potential to be in your life he’s got to pass muster.”_

_“Your muster. He passed mine just fine.”_

_“You would have chewed him up and spit him back out Gia. Besides he wasn’t worthy I mean he didn’t even have his pants pulled up all the way.”_

_“I told you if it’s done right is called swagger. Anyway. Like I said you are a cockblocker.”_

_“Sure, you will be thanking me later from saving you from a bad decision.”_

I did some kind of cross between a growl and groan and turned away starting to go back inside realizing Clark wasn’t going to get it. He stops me by gently grabbing my arm.

_“Gia wait.”_

He pulls me backward to him again, I end squarely folded into his arms, with his front pressed to my back, face in the curls I left down for the night. I ignore how good this feels, the smell of him, the strength corded through his arms as he holds me tightly.

_“I am sorry Gia. I guess I just don’t want you to leave me. Tonight was supposed to be about the two of hanging out, helping me get over a heartbreak. I just didn’t want my best friend to leave me to drink alone.”_

He says next to my ear and I fight off a shutter. I respond by taking a deep breath and saying.

_“I wasn’t going to leave you Clark, what kind of best friend would I be if I let you drink alone?”_

I did my best to be mad, but with the way he wrapped his arms around me, the small yet sweet words he used, I was putty. He didn’t have to know how turned on I got by the sound of his voice and honestly I didn’t want to figure out why my heart was racing. If I stayed like this any longer he would figure out it wasn’t from anger.

So I pulled away from him and turned back faux mad and said

_“Come on Kent bring your ass, next round is on you...”_

##  One hour later:

We walked into my apartment, glad that I hadn’t left it a mess before heading over to see Clark. He trailed behind me, holding the box of cookies from the late night cookie place not far from my house. 

_“I still can’t believe we stopped for cookies at 12 in the morning.”_

_“Come on Clark you know there is nothing better than a warm cookie late at night. How many times have you snuck one of your mom’s cookies at night when she was sleeping.”_

He ponders

_“Touché. I didn’t even know that place existed.”_

_“Yes, it’s fairly new but still awesome. My coworker told me about it and I went one night.”_

I didn’t tell him my first time going was the night he showed me the ring he got for Lois and I ate way too many cookies and some vanilla ice cream then had a pity party I threw for myself.

He shakes off his jacket and I cut on a lamp in the living room. He goes over to my couch and plops down, carefully as not to break it. He opens the box of treats and starts to eat one. One of the types I picked out, even though he didn’t ask for that one when specifically asked.

I came back with bottles of water from my kitchen to find the travesty in my living room.

_“Oh hell naw! You are seriously about to get put the fuck out dude! I know you are not eating my peanut butter chocolate chip cookie.”_

_“There’s like 3 in here.”_ He shrugs not giving a care in the world and looking down at his phone.

_“Yep and all three were mine Kal-El. Now I’ve got to fight you...”_

At this he looks up and notices I have red energy balled up on my fingertips. He has half of the cookie left and offers it to me sheepishly, I almost knock it out his hand but that would be too much of a waste so I grab it and eat the rest and wave my hand at the tv.

_“It is so easy to forget you have powers Gia. That you are like me in some ways, but then you do little things like cut a tv on with a wave of your hand or try to kill me and I remember.”_

_“I’ve been trying to tamper my use but honestly I just don’t want to look for the remote.”_

_“Good reason. Now since I’m not ready to go home yet and you promised me a movie. What’s on?”_

I flicked through Netflix, choosing to cast some action flick I’d been meaning to watch, knowing that anything sappy would just make Clark sad again. I put my feet on the coffee table in front of me, relaxing into the cushions finally. Honestly I wanted to put on pajamas but currently they all consisted of Clark’s shirts and short-shorts (if I even wore those) it wouldn’t be appropriate to wear around him, nor did I want him to take them back. So I stayed in my clothes and Clark had come out of his shoes, socks and the glasses he didn’t need. In a surprise move however instead of sitting straight up on his end of the couch, he lays down, head in my lap. 

Most of the time it was Lois he laid on like this or I fell asleep on his shoulder on accident, never fully intentional. I didn't jump up, instead my hands flew up to his hair and pushed it back. He emits relaxed energy and settles further in my lap. I briefly wondered how long had it been since he allowed himself to be cared for? 

We watched the movie and I polished off two cookies and we were about halfway through when an intimate scene came on in the film. My heart rate picks up slightly as the faces on scene blur slightly and I let my mind wonder to what it would be like if that was me and Clark. 

_“You know I can hear your heartbeat right?”_

I push at his head playfully and he sits up, but he is much closer than before because of how he had moved to put his head in my lap. He is smiling one of those megawatt smiles and I Want to punch him kinda but I also want to kiss him. The thought only arouses me further and I want to disappear into the couch.

_“It’s a perfectly natural reaction to the movie.”_

_“Sure, this isn’t because you find Sebastian Stan attractive or anything. Sure.”_

He takes a large slip of his water, smug.

_“Hey I’ve got to take my kicks where I can get them. Since someone that shall remain nameless kept scaring the guys away from me all night.”_

_“All of them were looking at you like a piece of meat.”_

_“ Did you ever think that I wanted them too. I mean come on, a girl has her needs.”_

_“Yes, but that doesn’t mean you have to sleep with some guy you barely know because he shows you some attention.”_

I look at him hurt. He had no clue I was still a virgin but that didn’t give him the right to imply I was whoring myself out to any and everyone. Even if I did he still had no right to judge me.

_“Do you really think that low of me Clark? That I sleep with everyone?”_

He immediately radiates guilt and regret.

_“No I didn’t say that.”_

_“You implied it. I..I think I’m going to head to bed. You can let yourself out now Kal.”_

I say and realize maybe that was one of the reasons he could never see me the way I saw him. This whole time he thought I was a hoe. I get up from my position on the couch, and as my face and eyes burn from embarrassment and sadness I walk to my room, but Clark is faster, stopping in front of me to keep me from the entrance to my bedroom.

_“Clark move.”_

I say, moving very quickly to the anger stage.

_“Gia wait. Please I’m sorry. I swear I wasn’t thinking of you like that. It was bad wording...”_

_“If it came out that easy then you were already thinking it.”_

_“I wasn’t! Honest!”_

I roll my eyes and focus my energy into my hand again, having practiced just enough strength to move Clark even if he wasn’t willing. I was proud of myself when he actually moved and I had enough time to get into my room, close and lock the door.

_“Fucking Jackass.”_ I whisper to the empty room.

I don’t wait to hear the door close, settling on a hot shower to get all the grime and dirt off of me from sitting in a smoky , sweaty bar half the night. I chastised myself the entire time I was in the shower looking back on all the times we laughed together, me possibly making a sex related joke or dirty throw away comment and realizing he had been thinking that of me the entire time. I grabbed an old shirt and shorts for bed, glad that bras were not required for being in your own home. I cut off the light to en-suite bathroom and jumped nearly a foot finding Clark sitting in my accent chair next to the now open window.

_“Goddamnit Kal-El you scared the shit out of me. How did you get in here?”_

_“You should really keep your windows locked, I mean there are so many weird folks out here that could want to hurt you. Trust me I hear most of them.”_

_“Well I can deal with most creepers just like I thought I had dealt with the one standing in my room right now.”_

I say, waving my hand toward the lamp next to my bed that comes on to illuminate his face. I can feel that he’s sorry and then desire comes right behind the sorry emotions.

_“Are you wearing my shirt?”_

Clark asks me suddenly, with his head turned slightly, almost in confusion and I take note as I looked down, that it was one of his royals shirts and it fell about mid-thigh, which regrettably hid my shorts.

_“I may or may not have borrowed it a while ago, but anyway that is off topic. Why are you still here?”_

He comes from the other side of my bed rather quickly, but his gait is not relaxed, it is more of a proud quickstep. I called it his ‘determination’ look, and now I was nervous. Was he mad for me borrowing...stealing the shirt? His emotions didn’t read mad however. In fact they were the exact opposite, the intensity of them made me rub my thighs together slightly.

_“I was here to make you listen to my apology because you are being stubborn again and you know exactly how much I hate you being mad at me so I was going to volunteer servitude and grovel shamelessly but now I am not so sure.”_

I could feel the tension in the room and I was sure I was just making it awkward for myself. So I crossed the room, away from him, and headed to my dresser, going to a drawer where I kept other nightwear that didn’t belong to Clark. I didn’t have many options but I certainly didn’t want to look at him. I bent down to get a new shirt from the drawer, quickly skipping over the other 6 shirts that belonged to him. 

_“So what aren’t you sure about Clark? I don’t give apologies for stealing a comfy shirt. Like you want it back or something? I mean at least let me toss it in the wash first.”_

Grabbing a purple tank top that I hardly wore, I stood back up, jumping at the slight of Clark directly behind me in the mirror.

_“Oh I think I want it back but not after you’ve washed it.”_

I haven’t turned around, choosing to stare at him from the mirror. Our eyes are locked and my face feels warm again, I fiddle with the shirt in my hand as lust begins to roll off of Clark in waves. In direct reaction to both of our emotions swirling around I feel myself grow wet.

_“You know I’ve been looking for this shirt all over.”_

Clark steps close enough that I feel the warmth he radiates on my back. He doesn’t break eye contact as he pulls me backwards, I gasp feeling his hardness poke me in my back, seeing as he was quite a bit taller than me. He leans down his hand still on his waist, and sniffs, I let myself melt closer to him, so unsure of myself or what exactly was happening but unable to stop it. He pulls away from my hair and sniffs again.

_“You know Gia, one of the perks of being an ‘Alien boy’ as you like to call me, is that my sense of smell is fantastic. Do you have any clue what I smell now?”_

I shake my head, too nervous to say the wrong thing and ruin whatever was happening.

_“I smell nothing but you. I can smell how aroused you are and it’s driving me crazy. Usually it’s faint, covered by your clothes and body washes, I can ignore it, chalk it up to you thinking of someone else. This time I can’t.”_

_“Clark I am...”_

_“Please don’t say you are sorry Gia. I don’t want you to be. What I want is my shirt back, now are you going to take it off or should I rip it? Although I have to say I’m partial to the first because I want more opportunities to take it off of you in the future.”_

I feel my breath leave my lungs and it is almost embarrassing how quick I reach down to the hem of the shirt and pull it upwards. We were still standing in the mirror with my back to him, but with the shirt off and no bra, everything was on display. 

Clark delicately runs his fingers down my bare arms, then leans down and his lips meet my shoulders, kissing toward my neck where the junction of my shoulder and neck meet. His hands move to the front of my body, a light touch to my stomach and upwards. The mirror reflects as his large hands grip my breasts and squeeze. I moan out as my eyes drift shut, and my head falls back into his shoulder. I grind myself backward against his hardness and he releases his own moan against my ear. His fingers from one hand drifts over a darkened nipple and then down space between my breasts, trailing down my stomach.

_“I could leave as you requested Gia, but I know you don’t want that do you?”_

_“No. Please stay.”_ I say and I free myself from his grasp as I turn around. He was still wearing the glasses so I pulled them off, sitting them on the dresser without breaking eye contact with his blue eyes that are blown so wide they are almost black. I reach up, and pull him down by the collar of his shirt, finally kissing him the way I had been dreaming about forever. 

He doesn’t break the kiss, only leans down to pick me up and my legs automatically wrap around his waist. He walks over to my bed, laying me down and following with him on top, my legs automatically opening to make space for him between them. He stops kissing me to pull his shirt off revealing the glorious chest I had seen more times than I could count, but never in this context. I reach down to pull at my own shorts, but he stops me.

_“Allow me.”_

I nod at him still nervous to speak much. I watch him pull my shorts and panties off and he stares at the glistening mound between my legs. 

_“So wet, I bet you would leave a puddle if I picked you up.”_

_“A..aaand what will you do about that Kent?”_

I taunt him nervously, but it’s not as clear as it would be normally. The smirk he sends in my direction would have melted my panties if I had been wearing them, it screamed dirty. 

_“Guess I’ll have to clean it up won’t I?”_

He says and leans down to kiss me again, my hands fly up into his curls, and meanwhile his hands drifts from my hips downwards to my thighs, his hands are warm and they skim up my thighs teasingly. His fingers don’t stop at my thighs and they finally land at my center., meanwhile he stops kissing my lips and his kisses begin to drift down my body. Warmth soon encloses one of my nipples, teasing me until it is taunt with his wet tongue, and one of his long digits enters me slowly. 

_“Oh Clark”_

I groan and shift to look down. He takes it as encouragement and moves over to my other nipple and after a few more minutes he adds another finger, stretching me. My hips arch into his hand and as he moves them in and out I can feel myself shuttering around his fingers. I want more inside of me than just his fingers but I was still nervous about all of this. I had fooled around before, made it this far with exactly one guy before him but everything felt new with Clark. Before I had always been in control of how I felt and what was being done, but I felt like I had none of that with Clark. He doesn’t stop kissing my chest, down my stomach, his lips meeting his fingers. 

This was new to me and as his lips made contact my hips lifted off the bed. My thighs try to drift shut, but of course Clark doesn’t allow that to happen, now using both hands to hold my thighs open, and my hands move back to his head again, desperately wanting to keep him there, with his tongue dancing around my clit.

_“Oh my god Clark!”_

_“You taste so good Gia. I could stay down here and worship at the fountain of you forever.”_

My eyes roll shut again, his words making my juice flow even more, which he drinks up with a chuckle against me, the vibrations only driving me further into my pleasure. When he stops eating me out I glare at him like he’s gone mad, I had been so close. Did he not just say he wanted to drink from me forever? 

I glare at him, probably more like a pout I figured since he only laughs again. 

_“Such an attitude for someone who wants to cum.”_

_“Clark, where are you going?”_

I am afraid he’s finally changed his mind about all of this. 

_“I am not going anywhere beautiful. Everything I need is right here in this room.”_ He begins unbuckling his jeans, I watch as they slide down his thick thighs revealing his length which I immediately get intimidated by. He is long and thick and I wonder how that plans to fit inside of me? Clark’s eyes follow my eyes to where I had been staring.

_“Where is the famous Gia courage? Don’t think you can handle me?”_

I can’t meet his eyes and look around the room. I was actually nervous about this moment. 

“ _Actually...I don’t know if I can...I..”_

Clark’s eyebrows furrow as he notices that I am no longer looking like I am going to pounce on him, but instead looks like I’m ready to bolt. Instead of climbing on top of me he lays next to me.

_“Gia why are you so nervous? You know I would never hurt you right?”_

I nod and pull one hand across my chest covering myself, feeling more self conscious the longer he looks at me. I am staring at the wall opposite him.

_“I am just nervous that’s all. I’ve ne--- I have never done THIS before okay?”_

He doesn’t say much for a moment and I just know he is about to get up and get dressed because somebody that looks like Clark doesn’t want someone inexperienced like me. Why would they? He had to notice all of the women at the bar staring him down all night. He had his pick and those women probably knew what to do and could give him a lot more pleasure than I could. 

Clark’s hand comes up to my face, fingers delicately touching, turning it so that I could look at him.

_“Gia. Are you saying you are a virgin?”_

_“Fresh as the fallen snow on a mountain top. Kinda blows your “Gia is hoe” theory doesn’t it?”_

I joke, trying to relieve the awkwardness of the room, but Clark doesn’t laugh with me.

_“ I’ve never thought that about you and please don’t deflect this... seriously. Are you sure about this? I mean that you want to do this with me?”_

I nod. My mouth was too dry to speak, but Clark wasn’t letting that slide.

_“I need words from you Gia.”_

The command is simple and direct but a turn on nonetheless. I don’t let it show outwardly however. 

_“Yes Clark. I’m sure. I trust you with this part of me.”_

He searched my eyes for a lie, but I knew he wouldn’t find any. His demeanor changes as he kisses me, and his fingers find my opening again. He spends more time opening me up, and he swallows almost every gasp and moan from my lips, then drops back down creating a suction with his lips around my clit that send me soaring.I begin to cum around the fingers tapping that spot inside of me that make me writhe about on the bed. 

Once I come down from the high of my orgasm, I find him staring at me again, if I could I’d blush over the intensity of his gaze. 

_“You are breathtaking Gia.”_

He turns and grabs his wallet from the jeans that had been unceremoniously dropped to the floor, producing a condom from inside. I can’t watch him put it on, and I know he can hear how fast my heart is racing again. Clark glides over my body and my legs open wider to make space for him again.

_“I promise I will never intentionally hurt you, but this may hurt slightly based off of what I’ve been told love.”_

I brace my hands on his strong shoulders.

_“ It’s okay. Like I said I trust you.”_

I feel his length slide in between my folds gathering the wetness there, before slowly guiding himself inside of my welcoming body. At least I thought it was welcoming, it felt like I was trying to push him out, and it felt like forever before he came to a stop. He stares at me and kisses me again, full engagement of his lips and tongue as he pushes forward, which makes me break the kiss to gasp into his mouth and whimper through the pain. I don’t even realize my face is wet until Clark wipes my face with the hand that is not holding him upwards. 

_“Breathe please Gia baby.”_

I feel my chest rattle as I settle into the pain. Clark is whispering sweet nothings in my ear, and as the pain abates I cue him to move.

He moves out again slowly and as he sets a pace, the pain drifts into pleasure and my nails can’t dig into his back, as his skin doesn’t allow it, so they glide across his back. His hands glide down my body touching every part he could find.

_“Ugh Clark Faster.”_

The overwhelming sensation builds and I flutter around the hard flesh as it moves in and out of me. Clark is definitely holding back and I can tell as he thrusts me through my orgasm. The second one of the night for me and none for him. I start to feel that maybe this is a penance for him, maybe it me, or maybe even a mistake to him. His desire hadn’t gone away, as he was still hard inside of me.

_“Clark, is there a reason you haven’t… you know.”_

His face is hovering above mine, his smile is wide following my question. I feel embarrassed considering I couldn’t even use the right words, despite him being inside of me at the current moment.

_“I’ve already asked you to use your words Gia.”_

He pushes forward suddenly and I make some cross between as gasp and moan.

_“ Fuck.”_

_“ Well that's a word. A dirty word, but word nonetheless.I’ll give you what you want.”_

He teases me.

 _“I didn’t think anything else expressed that properly.”_

_“No? I think I can get a few more words out of you tonight. Then again as long as my name is one of them you can say whatever you want baby.”_

His hands slide up the back of my thighs, ending behind my knees. He pulls them up and thrust downwards, deeply into me. My arms lock behind his neck and he obliges me to pull him down into a kiss. He thrusts harder and faster, his lips swallowing my groans and cries as we both hear how wet he is inside of me. He was so deep inside of me and I relished in the groans into my ears. 

I gave completely into the feelings of the moment, feeling Clark inside of me transcending the moment. As I flutter around him again, and he moves us higher and faster, I realize that us ...like this was what I had been waiting on…

##  ***End flashback***

That night had been one of magic, at least at the time. Clark had taken his time and thoroughly taken me apart, and put me back together. Despite my later ramblings I never regretted that it had been him, and not just because of our son. I haven’t asked Clark if the condom broke and if it did he never told me. I never regretted it because at the time it had been everything I didn’t know I needed and I seriously doubted it would have been that good with anyone else. 

The drive back to the manor was long but it gave me time to think. I needed to think about what I could say to Clark. How do you admit to someone that you’ve loved them like forever? One could guess you would just say it, but I didn’t know it would be that simple. I was about halfway home when a shadowy figure appeared in the middle of the road. It causes me to slam my breaks and I find myself spinning in a circle, then I was rolling, where it came to rest against a tree.

I cough roughly looking around for my phone and I am grateful that I was wearing a seat belt. I can feel that I am in extreme pain, blood dripping from my face, but with the smell of gasoline in the air. I can’t stay in this car or I will die. I use heat energy to create a blade to cut my seat belt since it jammed from the impact. I crawl myself from the driver's seat, ignoring the searing in my hands as the broken glass digs into them. 

_“Fuck.”_

I say, noting that my ankle feels like it’s on fire again indicating some sort of injury. Coughing I try to see my way to the road for help as the car begins to smoke. My heart clenches as the shadowy figure walks toward me with nothing but hatred and determination on its heart.

I try to scramble away and try to toss a hasty shield but I’m too weak to manage it. 

The figure grows closer and closer, it laughs. Surprising me by being light and feminine.

It comes close enough as the car, that I had moved away from explodes. It pulls off the hood to reveal a familiar face.

_“Waa...Tracy?”_

_“Long Time no see Gia. It’s time to come home.”_

**And with that she punches me in the face, and everything fades to black...**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/n: Boom.
> 
> No but really I truthfully need feedback on this one, because I like reading smut, but hate writing it. Had to get that Superababy here somehow huh?   
> SUMMARY: Flashback of the night Kalen was conceived! Gia is forced to crash her car and is taken by someone by the name of Tracy who is familiar to Gia.


	16. HOME?!?!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gia is missing...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/n: Hey World! I am back with a new chapter, which to my disappointment is shorter than I would have liked but as we get into the good stuff we need a filler chapter so this was it! I apologize for the delay!
> 
> Warnings: The norm

##  **Midnight: Chapter 16**

My head was pounding as I came to. The room was dark and as I pulled on my hands, I quickly realized they were cuffed. I yanked and yanked trying to get free. I try to call energy to me so I would have enough strength to break chains or at the very least cut them off but nothing happens.

This is where I panic. 

My powers were an innate part of me. Something I could always feel and gather at any point and time, and now I couldn’t. It was like I could feel it gathering, but couldn’t discharge it.

_“What in the hell?!”_

I pulled at my cuffs as my brain tries to fragment together how this happened and pieces of it flow until it becomes cohesive. 

> **It couldn’t have been her.**
> 
> **I hadn’t seen her in years…**
> 
> **Was it?**

A voice from the pitch blackness startled me. I did my best not to visibly jump.

_“Ahh good to see you are awake Ms. Smith. One of our greatest successes returned home. Sorry about the painful extraction but it was the only way to bring you back to us.”_

The light flips on and it becomes obvious that I am in a laboratory, strapped to a metal table. A man is standing in a booth that is high up, and I cannot see his face, only a shadowy outline of him. I was sure this was by design and it was clearly an operating room. I panic more but ask.

_“Who are you and what the fuck do you want?”_

I growled it out. I wanted him to understand that I was pissed. He tsk’s at me and speaks again

“ _Oh my dear did you forget all your home training that quick? I guess we’ll just have to remind you.”_

The man says and suddenly sharp electric pain zings through me. Making me grind my teeth and pull painfully against the straps holding me to the chair. In reality it was only seconds that it lasted but it felt like forever when all of your nerve endings were on fire.

_“Fuck!”_

I yell. 

_“Language Ms. Smith.”_

The pain zings through me again and I feel tears run from my eyes and the pain stops quickly again.

“Who are you and what do you want?”

I try again for my power but nothing manifests.

_“Do you like my little gift? These are neutralizing cuffs. It stops that cute little thing you can do with your hands. There will be no swords for you tonight.”_

I glared at the figure. I could do so much more than that. It let me know that he didn’t have a clue. 

_“Awe come now puppet don’t look so sad. You will get your powers back soon, but for now we need to do a little systematic reconditioning…”_

##  **Meanwhile:**

Clark was nervous. He didn’t like the idea of Gia of going to work without anyone physically in the building. He couldn’t and wouldn’t intrude on her space and what she felt she needed to do to be away from him. She had every right not to want him around. Look at the mess he had made of her life. He loved her beyond words but he couldn’t force her to love him back. It didn’t mean he didn’t want every opportunity to make it up to her though. He knew Victor was keeping and eye on her all night and he said she left work about an hour ago, so why wasn’t she back at the manor yet?

He tries to listen for her voice nearby or anything the indicates she is close but hears nothing, not even the soft hum of her car. 

Kalen is sleeping soundly so he slips the small child away from him and slide off of the bed to go on the patio, after pulling doing a quick change into his Superman suit and takes off to the sky following the road she should be on to get home. His ears are immediately assaulted with the sound of police and fire trucks as he flies and his heart begins to race as he hears the commotion and finds himself at the scene of a crash. It takes him only a moment to make sense that this is Gia’s car that is on fire.

He pushes through the crowd and walks to the car disregarding the yells and yanking the flaming door from the hinges. She was not in there and he turned to the crowd. He turns to the nearest police officer who seems to be in awe of Superman being that close to him. Clark yanks the cop forward by the lapels.

_“Was anyone removed from this car?!”_

Faced with the frantic ire of Superman, he shakes his head no. Clark let’s go of him and looks around trying to spot her face in the small crowd of cops and first respondents but there’s no one.

_**“Gia!!!!! Gia!!!!!”** _

He is calling her name frantically, but with no response.

He tried to listen for her but there was nothing and that was what scared him. He takes off pushing himself as fast as he can back to manor. Bruce never locked the door and Clark would have just knocked it down anyway in his frantic state. 

_“Bruce!!!”_

He yells and the caped crusader comes down the steps, Alfred in tow, who also had been alerted as soon the front door was opened. 

_“Gia is missing!!!!”_

Alfred immediately takes off to send an alert to the other team members. Bruce does his best to calm down Clark.

_“I can’t hear her or see her…she…I can’t hear her heartbeat…”_

Bruce was worried, this was the first time he saw Clark lose his head. If that wasn’t an indicator of his feelings for the short firecracker that entered their lives a short time ago, then he didn’t know what was. 

He could let the man he called a friend and at one point an enemy go crazy however. It would not bode well for anyone. He knew first hand that Clark was a force when not in his right mind. 

_“Clark…Clark calm down. Why do you think she is missing?”_

Clark shakes his head trying to expand his hearing as far as he could to try and hear the heartbeat or voice he was so attuned to.

_“Only that your car is a fiery wreck about 10 miles out and she was not in it. It’s not like she could have been car jacked. She is gone Bruce.”_

_“Okay we will find her, but you are no help to her if you go off crazed and half cocked. Besides your son will need you.”_

The thought of Kalen snaps him out of his slightly manic state. 

He climbs the stairs in Kalen’s direction. Kalen has moved in his sleep, legs and arms wild as most children do at that age. Relieved that his yelling hadn’t awoken his son, he worries for him. What if they couldn’t find Gia? He didn’t want his son to grow up without his mother. He didn’t want to be without either. To live in a world without her in it would be agonizing.

He hears Barry’s quick arrival and Bruce sends him to search the surrounding areas around the crash. Victor has arrived as well, and was trying to find footage. 

_“Clark, I found something.”_ He calls Clark from downstairs no louder than normal as to not to wake the child. 

He tucks the toddler tight into his bed and heads downstairs. He finds Bruce, Diana and Victor in the surveillance room. Diana comes over and hugs the superhero, and Victor nods in greeting before launching into what he found.

_“ It took a little time but I was able to tap into one of the government’s satellites. I found this.”_

The team watches as someone steps from the side of the road directly into the path of Gia’s car. They watch the scene unfold, Clark praying the entire time that she was surviving this ordeal. The image of her trying to get away only to be punched and then dragged away in the back of a plain black van with no plates or identifiable marks. It sends anger searing through his veins, he had never felt the need to hurt someone so bad. To hurt one of the people he loved most was a crime punishable by severe pain in his eyes. 

He needed to find her and he needed to find her quickly…

##  ***5 days later***

_“Clark baby you have to eat.”_

Martha Kent had just put Kalen down for a nap and was now sitting with her solemn son. 

“ _I am not hungry.”_

Clark was downright depressed from not being able to find Gia. He wouldn’t shaved, called out from work, and baths were strictly in and out affairs meant to placate everyone else. He was devoted to everything he had to his finding Gia and being there for their son. He spent endless amounts of time flying around, stalking criminals to find out what they knew. 

Nobody he found knew anything. Thankfully he had help with Kalen because he had quickly learned he was out his depth with being a parent…

##  ***A few Days ago*- Flashback**

> “Come on Kalen son you have got to eat. Can you be a big boy and eat the hot dog for your old man please.”
> 
> Clark was not a beggar but he was exhausted and this was not helping. He and Kalen had a great father-son relationship, but at the end of the day Kalen was still a toddler that liked to push the limits of his boundaries and his father’s patience. 
> 
> _“NO!!!”_
> 
> Clark had taken Kalen back to his mother’s house for some normality and was currently trying his best to get his son to eat something but it was not working out. He flat out refused to eat the plain hot dog placed in front of him. He was loud and upset, Clark knew it was because Gia’s presence was missing and Kalen didn’t know how to express that without a temper tantrum much like he was doing now. 
> 
> Frustrated he felt the heat build between his eyes, threatening to shoot into the nearby wall. He pinches the space between his brows so the heat didn’t shoot from them and hopefully dissipates the impending headache. He had only been a father for a couple weeks and he didn’t have any clue what he was doing wrong or right. He needed Gia back, they were meant to do this together. She had always been his balance and now she was gone.
> 
> Martha had been trying to let her son handle this by staying out of the way and letting him be the father. It was clear as she walked into the kitchen that Clark was struggling. 
> 
> _“G’ma!!!”_
> 
> Kalen shouts happily and claps his hands together.
> 
> _“My sunshine! Why aren’t you eating?”_
> 
> She asks and the response is to push the plate away.
> 
> _“Alright let’s see if I can get you something you will eat.”_
> 
> She grabs up the plate, takes the hot dog from the bun, tosses the bun away, and Clark watches as she cuts it up, covers it in ketchup then sits it down in front of the toddler, who then proceeds to eat the food.
> 
> Much to Clark’s chagin and mild disbelief. 
> 
> _“Am I ever going to get the hang of this?”_
> 
> _“Yes. It just takes patience son. For the record I had the same problem with you growing up. Your father and I were nervous at first because you wouldn’t eat. We honestly got scared you required some kind of alien food that we had no potential to get our hands on. Irrational I know, but still a real fear. You will just have to take your time and learn your son. I’m sure Gia had to do the same thing.”_
> 
> Clark looks down at his feet for a moment.
> 
> _“ Yes but she is Gia. Gia is…she is in a whole other realm of unbelievable. He needs his mother.”_
> 
> He says missing her voice, looking out the screen door at the farm. He doesn’t admit out loud that he needs her too.
> 
> _“And you will find her. If I know anything about you Son is that you are determined. I know you will find her.”_
> 
> She pats him on the shoulder and goes back over to Kalen at the table.

##  ***End flashback***

Clark still had no leads and grew more desperate by the second. He wanted nothing more than to find her. He wanted to tell her that he wanted everything with her. This wasn’t some sort of get back game with Lois. He wanted to stand in front of her as a man and declare his feelings. He wanted to raise their son together (maybe even have a few more). He wanted to give her the fairytale just like he wanted for them.

He couldn’t do any of that without her…

_“Clark son, you are no good to Gia if you die because you aren’t taking care of yourself. In fact I know she would be good and mad if you die and she did all of that to bring you back.”_

They both give a small chuckle at knowing how her temper could be set off, especially when she thought Clark was being stupid. 

Before he could respond his cell phone rings and Bruce’s name lights up across the screen.

_“Kent.”_

_**“Clark we think we’ve got something…”** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: YES I know its short and not much character movement but I felt this was important to show. I hope to have the next chapter up sometime this week because baby let me tell y'all the stuff I have coming up for this is going to be great!
> 
> As always thank you for taking the time to read this and know I appreciate every comment and every Kudos. They fuel me to keep writing for you!  
> If you like be sure to bookmark for update notifications!


	17. Forgetting...remembering... its all the same

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clark and Gia reunite but not in the way it is expected...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/n: Hey everyone!!! Since I am on lock down and get to spend more time getting these ideas out my head you guys get another chapter! Let me know what you think!
> 
> Warnings: Language, Non-con sexual situations, angst. I tag more and it ruins the chapter but just an FYI this serves as your potential trigger warning.

##  **Midnight: Chapter 17**

Only the sky saw Superman race across it to Bruce’s house. The team with the exception of Arthur who they hadn’t been able to get in touch with, had been working around the clock to try and find Gia.

_“Tell me what you’ve got?”_

Clark’s voice held a tone of superiority that commanded respect even when he wasn’t going for that. Victor speaks up first.

_“I’ve been tracking the dark web chatter trying to find anything that would lead us to who took Gia or where she is. I haven’t had a hit on who took her, but there has been talk about a big Russian politician who doubles as a mob leader coming into town. He is supposed to be meeting with our very own Harvey Dent at a club downtown.”_

“That doesn’t bode well for anyone if he starts making allies.”

Bruce comments

_“What does that mean for Gia?”_ Barry asks 

_“I say if there is some meet up going down, then it could mean whoever took Gia is involved in this too. Harvey Dent could definitely pull this off, especially if he viewed her as a threat.”_

Bruce answers and finds himself leaning against the control panel Victor was currently sitting at.

_“More than any of us?”_ Clark was still not sure but willing to hear them out.

_“Yes if her power was a direct threat to their plans then why not get her out the way?”_

Diana offers and looks over the screen.

_“So what did we do?”_

Barry asks, not having a plan himself.

_“I think we should go undercover. At least a couple of us.”_

_“Who exactly?”_

Clark asks skeptically

Diana smiles and Clark knows he is in trouble..

##  ***Later***

Clark, Diana and Bruce all went undercover to the club where this meet up between Dent and the Boss was supposed to happen. Clark walked in separately from Bruce and Diana who made themselves look like the VIP’s they were and together, although they didn’t have to try very hard to appear that they were on some sort of date.

Clark however came in looking like a more….disheveled version of himself. He hadn’t been shaving all week and Diana did something with his hair that defined his curls but didn’t look as wild as they normally looked. She tossed a charcoal grey button and jeans at him. Left him with a “meet us at the club”.

So here he was in a loud club packed with people, he honestly could have listened to whatever conversation he wanted from outside, but he wanted to have a good look at this Dent character he would be knocking the lights out of later. He leaned against the bar, taking a sip of a drink he ordered, listening for signs of trouble, sitting it down on the bar top, honing in on Dent and the boss chatting it up about two tables down from Bruce and Diana.

_“Well what’s a hunk like you doing in here all alone?”_

A petite olive toned girl that almost looks too young to be in the club, thrusts herself onto him bodily. Her breasts practically falling out of the top of her ill fitting red dress he perfume almost fascinatingly thick, her heart is racing although it doesn’t show on her face. He gives her a nervous smile and politely pulls her manicured hand off his arm and chest. 

_“Sorry I am not alone… I was just waiting on my girlfriend…”_

He puts up the drink and takes another sip, hopefully to imply to her that he is not interested. 

_“Are you sure you don’t want to be alone? I am alone tonight but I don’t want to leave that way.”_

She flips her hair over her shoulder, and he backs away again, only now he begins to feel odd. His head begins to swirl, he clears his throat, takes another drink but it doesn’t help.

_“I appreciate your obvious interest but I cannot join you. I..I’m just going to go.”_

Clark pulls away and stumbles off to the bathroom, unawares to Diana and Bruce.

He stands at the sink as the last man exits the restroom. He throws water in his face, but his head begins to ring. He feels weaker by the second as he is holding on to the sick tightly but it doesn’t break under his hands which it should under normal circumstances. 

The lights in the bathroom flicker and shut off for a moment. When they come back on the blonde woman is standing behind him, jibbing his neck with a syringe and it’s lights out for Clark Kent…

##  ***1 hours later***

_“I told you the plan would work!”_

Clark was slowly coming to, but still felt weak. The voices he was hearing sounded familiar, but it couldn’t be.

_“See look he’s even waking up now. Goody!”_

There was an excited clap and then an annoyed grunt.

_“Oh please Tanya don’t act like you aren’t excited. I mean wait until we tell the boss man we caught fucking Superman. He’s going to lose his shit!”_

_“When will he get here?”_

The second voice is also familiar but not as much as the first. The first had kept him up many nights looking for it. Clark’s eyes pop open to find not only the dark haired girl from the club looking at him but his Gia as well. 

Only something was off about her. Her eyes held no warmth looking at him. Her smile is wide, but manic. It was if she had become unhinged in the week she had been missing. Clark quickly realizes he’s chained down. Heavy duty chains it seems because they won’t budge as he tugs so he can grab Gia and get out of wherever they were. To his confusion she only laughs.

_“Aww sweetheart you think we used chains YOU could get out of?”_

She is wearing a version of her Midnight uniform but it’s not the same. The top is cut way lower and they are short-shorts at the bottom rather than the skin tight catsuit type with the gray detailing she always wore. This version had red in its place. She had foregone the mask and everything about her makeup was dramatic with red and black tinted shadow and bright red lips, her hair straightened. She saunters over to him slowly, also opting for heels rather than the flat boots she normally fought in. Her lips curl upward into another smile as she walks around him slowly. Her hands fold into his thick hair, playing with it.

_“Your mind is interesting Mr. Kent.”_

She finishes her circle, stopping in front of him.

_“Gia what is going on? Let me out of here?”_

_“Clark sweetheart, they said you were smart. Why would I let you out? I am not this Gia person you speak of, but I mean if she IS the chick you are fucking then maybe we can make an exception and I’ll be her.”_

He was confused; she was speaking as if she had no clue who he was or who she even is. The Tanya girl looks at Gia with a smirk.

_“Should I call boss man?”_

Gia looks as if she is concentrating really hard, then comes back to the moment in front of her.

_“He’s a bit busy. Still has… company…in his penthouse.”_

She says ‘company’ in a tone that implies whoever their boss was, was engaging in sexual activity. Clark could care less, he had to get himself and more importantly Gia out of this mess. He looks her over again up and down, to his chagrin he does appreciate how she looks standing that close to him in something that short, her long legs on display, his mind flashes to those wrapped around him. Gia looks at him, they lock eyes and she raises an eyebrow at him in amusement.

_“I think I should be allowed to have a little fun. I’ve been cooped up here, you got to go out and get him. He said catch him, never said I couldn’t have a little fun with him while we wait.”_

_“You think that’s a good idea?”_ The Tanya girl asks but she knows it’s not. 

_“Yes. Besides if you are so worried go stand watch for the boss and once he’s…done…let me know.”_

Clark watches as Gia’s iris light up glowing green and Tanya’s eyes light up the same color to match. Tanya suddenly says as her eyes return back to normal and no indication that her eyes had been glowing.

_“Okay I’ll go stand watch.”_

The girl leaves them alone, and Gia giggles that insane laugh again.

_“It’s going to be fun playing with that power. You won’t tell anyone I have it will you? You seem like the trust worthy type with all those goody two shoes and morals you are trying to spin on us humans.”_

Clark pulls at his bonds again, but he knows it pointless.

_“Gia let me out of here. We can fight like normal people when our lives aren’t at risk.”_

She only plops down on his lap, straddling him, he can feel her body weight as opposed to normal where he only feels light pressure.

_“I should start off by introducing myself since you keep calling me the wrong name. I would tell you my real name, but you don’t need to know that. A good villain never gives it all away in the first round. Around these parts everyone calls me Synergy.”_

Thoughts fly through his mind as it clicks that Gia truly has no clue who she is and that does not bode well for him. In fact his mind is still a bit swirly from however they got him here. She runs her finger down the side of his face tenderly.

* **-“How did they get him here?”***

_“Now you are asking the right questions. Although gosh you look just like a goddamn puppy when you are confused. It’s quite endearing. Makes me want to keep you Clark Kent of Smallville, A.K.A Superman of Krypton. Hey sweetheart… Did you know Kryptonite still works even in powdered form. I wondered why anyone would think Superman would be in a club, without glasses, and furthermore that nobody would figure it out, but one would guess that you would turn up trying to find Harvey Dents meeting, just like boss said he would. Pft like Dent is bright enough to manufacture this.”_

He thinks and tries to remember how they were able to get the Kryptonite into him, he can’t pinpoint it.

_“A little dabble in Tanya’s perfume, a dose in that pesky little drink, chain links made with the power blended in… all bring us to this very moment. With me sitting on your lap, and you sitting here confused and rampant thoughts about my legs being wrapped around your waist.”_

Clark was now nervous because how in the hell did she know he had thought that. She only smiles a coy smile and leans closer to him, her lips next to his ear.

_“I will chalk you being a little slow on the uptake to your Kryptonite exposure. If you haven’t guessed I have the ability to read minds and well as control them. I have been able to read you since you woke up. I’ll mark you down as nervous and horny. How about that?”_

_“I wouldn’t go that far as to say horny.”_

He tried to deflect, a collected smirk on his face. She only pulls herself closer to his chest, pushing them pelvis to pelvis. He can feel the heat of her center through the shorts she is wearing, and the body was still Gia’s even if the mind wasn’t. He feels terrible as he could feel himself start to harden against her. She hisses as she grinds against him, eyes closed, as he gets harder and harder. 

_“Oh really Superman, so what do you call being on hard between my legs on your home planet? Because here that means you want to fuck me. You know seeing as we will be unbothered for a while due to my little party trick. I say we get to know each other a little better, Superman.”_

She runs her hands down his clothed chest, and avoids eye contact. Clark tries not to linger too hard on one thought for fear of compromising anyone else. He pulls on the chain again and Gia / Synergy just starts kissing his neck, trying very hard to will the quickly forming erection away. He couldn’t sleep with Gia. Now while she was like this it was immoral, unjust, and he knew that the true her didn’t want him this way. He didn’t really want her this way. If he were to be with Gia again he wanted her aware and the full understanding about what he was doing to her body, he wanted her mind fully on what they were sharing. This puppet couldn’t give him truly desired from her.

_“Awe now baby don’t be like that. I think we could be good together. The amount of Energy pouring from you. Even weakened is addictive. The sex would be amazing, and trust I know just what to do with this.”_

She reaches down cupping him on the outside of his jeans. He groans as she peppers kisses on his jawline again, he can feel himself giving in as she moves her hands to the button on his jeans. He is dreading how her hand moved downwards all while simultaneously anticipating it. The moral war wages in his mind, as her breath fans across his neck and she reaches his cock.

She whispers in his ear again

_“Clark baby, think about it … we could have it all. Be the two most powerful beings in the universe, it starts right here with nobody being the wiser, join me in the darkness.”_

The lights flicker in the room and just as she grasps his length in her hand, gliding up and down, he almost short-circuits as pleasure begins to override all other thoughts but her last words ring some sort of bell in his head despite feeling he was about to say damn it all. Her words that sparked him to think

_**“…join me in the darkness.”** _

##  ***Flashback***

> Her heart rate was ticking up. The thin walls between her room and his made it impossible for him not to hear her. She had started moving around on her bed. He could smell the sweat that had formed on her skin. The whimpering began and that was his queue to get up from his bed.
> 
> He normally spent most of his time at Lois apartment, but with bringing Gia home, he had taken responsibility for her. He could just leave her on his mother’s doorstep for her to take care of. Clark could have and his mother would have been okay with doting on her, but the truth was he liked being around Gia. When she was not having any episodes she actually has the most calming energy coming from her. Clark doubted that she even recognized that she did but he enjoyed that beyond all the hurt and healing she was a very cool, level headed person. He also knew she would be able to really take flight, fly on her own once she healed. However, he was still nervous that she wouldn’t be able to heal. Worried… worried that maybe she would lose control and he couldn’t get to her in time. She was more powerful than she realized and he feared that if he couldn’t help her, she would be the next villain he had to fight. The potential that she had in her power was phenomenal and he would much rather have her as an ally rather than an enemy. 
> 
> Beyond the obvious threat of her, he felt himself being drawn to her. He didn’t want to watch her suffer. This was one of the reasons he was getting up in the middle of the night to check on her. She was having a nightmare again.
> 
> He steps into her room slowly and quietly, as her head tosses to the side and her chest heaves in her tank top, she is no longer under the blanket, having tossed it to her knees. He doesn’t pull the sheets back up, afraid of her reaction if she felt constricted. Instead he sits next to her, saying her name and trying to wake her with light shaking. She gasps and bolts upright, and he barely has enough time to move his head out the away before she would have run into it. Gia looks around frantically, looking for an exit. She barely registers Clark sitting next to her.
> 
> _“Hey, hey, hey. It’s alright. You are okay, You are safe.”_
> 
> She looks at him tears in her eyes and bright red energy swirling on her fingertips, and fear radiating off of her. As realization sets in that she is safe she lets her head fall onto his chest, and he wraps his arms around her. This had become the habit that had formed between the two of them. 
> 
> _“These have got to stop.”_ She whispers and tries to let the scent of him relax her, though she never admits that out loud.
> 
> _“Feel like sharing what this one was about?”_
> 
> She huffs and pulls away from his arms. Her head falling back on the pillow she had been laying on. Clark makes himself more comfortable, sitting with his torso against the headboard in the space next to her.
> 
> _“It’s just more of the same. The same bullshit I’ve been dreaming about since I got here.”_
> 
> _“Have you tried the breathing techniques that the therapist recommended?”_
> 
> _“Yes. I have tried it all. It’s no use, I am broken Clark.”_
> 
> _“No, I don’t think you are broken. You are definitely out of sorts but not broken.”_
> 
> _“If you saw the sick shit in my head you wouldn’t say that.”_
> 
> _“I don’t need to see anything in your head to know that what I said is true Gia.”_
> 
> She has turned so she is in a ball facing away from him. He can’t hear it in her voice but he can smell her tears. He brushes a hand down her arm, she shies away, he doesn’t admit out loud that it hurts his feelings slightly. It hurts him more to see how small she tries to make herself in the ball. He wanted to pull her into his lap, but he doesn’t want to violate her space. He could only imagine how much that had happened before he got to her. 
> 
> _“I was relishing in their screams, watching as I tortured people. I was HAPPY that they were dying by my hands.”_
> 
> Clark says nothing as she begins crying again, her strained voice continues talking.
> 
> _“What if they’ve turned me down the wrong path? What if I am only delaying the inevitable and I am going to be dark and evil?”_
> 
> _“To use your colorful language. That’s bullshit. You make the choice to be good or bad.”_
> 
> _“That’s easy for you to say. Your moral compass is so straight, it’s a fence.”_
> 
> _“Sometimes but I hate to bust your bubble, but I’ve got my demons too. Nobody, not even me is perfect. I have had those same dreams, lived with the fears that one day power consumes me and I become exactly what people feared I would be from the beginning and that is a threat to all humans.”_
> 
> She finally turns to him, surprised that he would admit something like that out loud to her. 
> 
> _“How do you handle all of that? Knowing what you are capable of and still remain good?”_
> 
> _“I remember what and who I am fighting for. I remember those that love me. What would it happen if I went dark? I let them be my guide, pull me out so to speak.”_
> 
> She looks up at Clark who is staring down at her.
> 
> _“That’s just it Clark, I don’t have that support system like you do. What if I do get dragged into the dark? What if I lose myself and become the big bad you have to end? ”_
> 
> He sighs and he can still hear her crying, his head dropping back to the headboard with a small thunk. He didn’t like thinking about that. He opens his arms and lets her make the choice like he always did, she does as she always does pulls herself upwards into the hug. Feeling evermore a small child, in a big world. He made the world smaller for her, even in her tears she now felt safe right in his arms. 
> 
> _“You’ve got to promise to put me down if I ever go there. Don’t let me become the monster they tried to make me.”_
> 
> He just hugs her tighter and she tries to burrow down further into his chest, tears on his shirt.
> 
> _“Yes you do have support. I will do everything in my power to pull you out of the darkness. I won’t ever just leave you there.”_
> 
> _“Scouts honor?”_
> 
> She says jokingly but still sad. Clark just slightly tightens his arms and responds.
> 
> _“I promise you Gia, I will be your support system, I will always pull you out of the Darkness.”_

***End Flashback***

Gia/Synergy is moving her hand up and down the length of him and Clark forced himself to focus. He starts letting moments and images fly by in his head of all the good moments they shared together. He starts with her rescue and how she felt in his arms. He can tell that she is reading his mind because her hands falter as do her lips on his jaw. He continues on, thinking of how they trained together, how he feels watching her, the joy she has at mastering a new part of her talent. He focuses on the love he has for her and pushes it to the forefront of his mind. By now she jumps up, off of his lap, holding the sides of her head.

_“Whatever you are doing Superman, knock it off!”_

_“I don’t think I will.”_

He felt bad that his love for her was causing her pain, but he needed her to understand that he wasn’t giving up on her. 

Gia /Synergy tosses herself into a wall, slamming harshly as her breathing turns ragged, she is in a panic because she doesn’t understand why she has all of these feelings and thoughts. Why did she have all of these memories with Superman? Her brain felt like it was being torn in two as repressed memories and feelings came up, clashing with the things she has been told. Was he lying to her? We’re these false memories?

He couldn’t be lying because the counterpart to these memories were coming up for her in her mind. 

Fuck it hurts her. Her face feels wet but she can’t wipe them. Why was she crying? She feels paralyzed as memories of her mother and his mother and Lois run through her head. She felt all the hurt and pain again, just as fresh as if they had just happened. The battle rages in front of Clark and he knows he has to use the one thing that he didn’t want to but it was clear she was breaking down and all she needed to do was remember.

He thought about all of the memories he had with their son. Lingering on how she and Kalen bonded and her holding him in her arms. How he felt to see her hold their son, how he wanted their family back. 

_“Come on Gia, Kalen needs you back. I need you back.”_

This triggers almost every moment good or bad she has had with Kalen since he was born. 

Clark worries as Gia sobs painfully, but then breathes a sigh of relief when her head finally pops back up with watery red eyes.

**_“Clark?!”_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick Summary for those who skipped due to my warning; basically Clark gets... Clarknapped by a girl in a club who turns out to be Tracy, and whoever she works for has wiped Gia memories. Clark and Gia reunites rather dramatically, he flips the script and forces her to remember with using her new mind reading power against her...
> 
> A/N: What did y'all think? If its not obvious I included the tag above because Clark, while he is clearly more than attracted to Gia here, for some this can be triggering because he is tied to a chair and if you squint because he was there against his will, her touching him is non-con…
> 
> I felt I owed a brief explanation so here you go. I hope nobody was too offended and if you were let me know.
> 
> I LOVE feedback and it makes my day so thank you to everyone who shows me and my story love, because it is truly appreciated.
> 
> KEY: *Means inner-thoughts*


	18. Remember...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gia remembers Tracy...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am writing a little bit everyday so this got done and I am already well into chapter 19! I was going to post this last night but I decided to wait until this morning.
> 
> Warnings: Much of the same warnings before, language, sexual innuendo, lewd comments, child abuse so trigger warning.
> 
> * Denotes: Inner-voice

I look around the dimly lit room as if seeing it for the first time despite knowing I had been in it for a while. My eyes hone in non Clark chained to a wooden chair in the middle of the room. 

_“Clark?!”_ Recovering from whatever hold had been put over me, I tried to shake my head to clear it, but all my emotions were a jumbled mess. All I knew was that I had to get to Clark. It was odd but he wasn’t giving off fear.

_“There’s my Gia. Glad to see you again.”_

He says with a smile as if he was trying to comfort me. The longer I looked at him the fogginess of what I had done began to lift. I remembered helping trap him, bringing him here, coming up with the idea for those god awful chains and then I forced myself onto him. What the fuck dude! 

If he didn’t hate me before, he sure as shit would now. I scramble to my feet, and over to him.

_“What in the hell did I do?!”_ Ask mostly to myself but Clark responds. 

***** _“No permanent damage yet, but I think we stand a much better chance of sorting this out if I get out these chains.” *****_

I don’t think too hard and control myself enough to gather enough energy to cut through his chains. I pull them off quickly and toss them as far away from him as I can. Clark finally takes a full and deep breath as the Kryptonite chains were constricting all of that for him. He coughs roughly as his body readjusts to his strength returning. 

_“Oh my god I fucked up bad. What did I do…”_

Thoughts raced through my head as I imagined all the ways Clark could kill me, each more creative than the last. 

***** _ **“** Gia, Gia. Calm down. Everything will be alright. Can you still hear me like this?” *****_

I was confused.

 _“I am panicking Clark, not deaf of course I can hear you.”_ I snap but note that I am still shaking.

_***** “Gia look at me.” *****_

He says and it sounds like he is trying to poke fun at me. I frown and look at him. 

_***** “Gia my lips haven’t been moving the entire time. **”***_

I yelp and jump away from him.

_“What the hell?!”_

This time Clark laughs out loud and he just pulls me closer to him, it surprised me that he would even want me that close to him.

_“Everything will be okay, but first we have got to get out of here. I am still too weak to fly, at least while I am near these chains. Do you think you can get us out of here?”_   
  


All of my memories of this place are still fuzzy, everything felt so intense, and sharp. Apparently now I could read minds. This was all new and strange to me. What had happened while I was here? How long was I here? Most importantly, how could we get out of here. I looked around for clues, trying to think of anything that could help when Clark’s head shot toward the door.

_“Someone is coming. Follow my lead.”_

He pulls me close to his body as he sits himself down in the chair and we end up in the same compromising position we had been in before. Clark’s hands pull my face down onto his just as the door opens. He makes the kiss intense right off the bat, slipping his tongue into my mouth, holding my head in place. Lost to the moment I moan forgetting we were only putting on a show, at least until a throat clears behind us.

“ _I hate to interrupt but I heard the bossman just kicked out his house guests and is about to make an appearance. You may want to lock the lover boy back up before that happens.”_

I fight back the urge to cry as I recognize Tracy.

It had been years since I had seen Tracy and to see her again, under these circumstances I was hit with my own guilt, and her simmering anger and sadness.

I have no control over these new expansions of my powers so I can’t control hearing thoughts. Tracy practically yells in her mind at me.

***** _“Hurry up so I don’t have to hurt you. I don’t want to hurt you! Hurry hurry! Boss will make me hurt you.” *****_

_“Okay Tracy. What if we don’t tie him back up? I need to leave.”_

_“Leave? Wait…you are awake aren’t you?”_

I watch as Tracy goes on the defensive. I stand down so that I don’t make her even more wary of me.

_“Tracy I don’t want to fight you. Come with us.”_

This time Clark was the one shouting at me. I winced outwardly as Clark yelled in his own head. 

I would definitely teach him that he didn’t need to yell in his head. 

> _*“Are you crazy Gia?! She was the one who caused the crash and kidnapped you.”*_
> 
> _  
> *“Yes Clark. I know exactly who she is. I failed her before. I won’t do it again.”_
> 
> _  
> *“You are trying to get yourself killed, I’m convinced.”*_

I realize we have been silent exactly long enough to be rude and freak her out. I feel her defensive energy build and she prepares to fight me.

_“Please Tracy come with me. We can help you.”_

_“So now you want to help me? After all these years? You want to help me? I don’t think so, I think you just want to use me. You don’t care about me. He does.”_

The images of the kind words, and sweet gestures. All of which had been more of a sibling in nature, but as I watched them briefly it was clear she was being groomed. He was talking to her persuasively, soft words laced in the way that would make any impressionable young person comply with whatever just to continue to receive that affection they had been starved of and I knew Tracy had been starved because for a while I had too.

_“Tracy I care. I promise I care about you. Just come with us. You will see that I only want what’s best for you.”_

_“Fuck you!”_ She growls at me. I feel Clark tense up behind me.

_“Tracy. Please I already said I don’t want to fight you.”_

I try to keep my eyes open and honest. Tracy was contemplating an attack as she had been taught, but the part of her mind that hadn’t been altered. The true part that I knew of her, was fighting her to let us help. 

For some reason she can’t explain to herself, she agrees at least until she is sure we aren’t a threat as much as I could gather from her surface thoughts. Without much control over this new power I didn’t know how to dig deeper for the stuff people wanted to hide. I push positive emotions to her. 

_“Alright, we can get out of here but the boss is headed down here on detainment level.”_

_“If we can get Clark away from the chains, he and I can handle the rest.”_

Tracy nods and holds her thumb against the door panel and it opens to an empty hallway. Do my best to move calmly and confidently as if nothing is wrong. Tracy has no problem staying calm and I can feel her power surging through her arms, which indicated she had super strength. I remembered her punching me and taking me down for the count. Clark is nervous mostly because he knows he is not at full strength to help me as much as he normally could. It worries him and especially as we navigated through the halls, using what I could feel of energies to avoid others and trusting Tracy to guide us out. Thankfully, just as we were getting out the last door, we narrowly avoided a guard coming around the corner. Out of the building I felt Clark’s strength boost exponentially as he was now far enough away from the chains that he was back at full strength. 

_“We have got to get out of here. Gia I can carry you, Tracy will have to get on my back and I can fly us out of here.”_

Then we heard a loud siren which told me someone knew we were gone. I could feel anger, and mostly panic coming from those inside, and from experience I knew nothing good came from that mix of emotions.

“ _Shit, okay let’s go!”_

I turn to Tracy who for the first time looks unsure. I walk over to her and take her hand.

_“Tracy, I need you to trust me. I can’t leave you here so let’s go.”_

Clark looks between us as he walks over and turns his back to Tracy for the first time since this all started, and kneels down so she could get on his back easily. Tracy shoots me a look and I can feel fear and uncertainty pouring from her, but she latches onto his back and grips him tightly. I breathe a sigh of relief and let Clark scoop me up and hold me tightly against his chest like he always does when we fly. We take off with a blast ignoring the calls for us to stop and get just far enough away that if Clark moves at a random pattern then they couldn’t get a shot on us.

##  ***Wayne Manor: 4:45am***

The flight wasn’t that long, maybe 30 minutes at best and I could feel Tracy’s energy was running low. Clark landed in the driveway of Bruce manor rather than my room, and Tracy slid off his back easily. Clark doesn’t put me down until we are inside the house.

Lights come on in the foyer just as Clark carries me across the threshold, sitting me to my feet just as Bruce, Alfred, Diana, Barry and Victor all come rushing into the room.

Their thoughts all come at me loud and at once, it hurts. I crumble to my knees, holding my ears, trying to make it stop. Ramblings of ‘he found her’, ‘she’s alive’, and ‘she’s hurt’, all swirling around in my head. I start crying and Clark kneels in front of me.

_“Gia, baby what is wrong?”_

He pulls me against his chest and I mumble.

_“It’s so loud, Clark. Everyone’s thoughts are too loud.”_

“ _Remember when I taught you to focus your energy? Make your world smaller, focus on one thing. One sound or one mind, start blocking everything else.”_

_“It hurts.”_

I say with my head throbbing, tear tracks running down my face.

_“I know it hurts but if you don’t try this, you will just hurt and hurt. I can’t watch you suffer. I know you can do this. Remember to focus on just one thing, one sound, one feeling, bring yourself down.”_

He rubs my back and I try to heed his advice, focusing on how good his hand feels on my back, and his thoughts which he had basically cleared out to chant ‘relax and breathe Gia, I am here to protect you’. His mantra helps me focus until I stop whimpering and can open my eyes. I look at him with bloodshot red eyes and Clark offers me a small smile, leaning down kissing my forehead.

_“There’s my Gia.”_

I get that tingly feeling from hearing him call me his. I push it down for the moment and stand to my feet, ignoring the small ache in my knees. I am finally able to look up at the team and everyone looks and feels concerned however the most resounding emotion is relief for me.

_“Thank the gods you are alright. That both of you are alright. We’ve been looking for Clark for hours since he disappeared from the club.”_

Diana walks over and pulls me into a hug. I allow it and I start to feel suspicion roll off of Bruce in heavy waves.

_“While I am glad you and Clark have both returned. I think we are a little behind the curve, who is this?”_

He gestures behind us to the small figure who had backed herself into a corner. I read her quickly and I feel true and deep fear from her for the first time. I pull away from Clark and walk over to Tracy.

“ _Everyone, this is Tracy. One of the reasons we escaped was because of her.”_

Victor steps up.

_“I know her face. She was the one talking to Clark before he disappeared, I’ve watched that tape back and forth. She slips something in his drink and then she guides him out the club through the back entrance. He is clearly influenced by something.”_

Victor looks pissed and rightfully defensive.

“ Yeah she also was the one who caused the wreck, but apparently I came up with the entire plan to kidnap Clark here. She was my partner. She didn’t have a choice. She never did. We were both kidnapped by the same people.”

_“So you brought the threat to my house then.”_

Bruce asks dryly.

“ _No. She isn’t any threat. She came willingly and if you could feel the emotions I could then you would know she is not a threat. I will warn you though, she is finicky. Keep calling her a threat and moving to attack and she will attack you. Her mind has already identified 6 ways to incapacitate and/ or kill you Bruce.”_

I say with a straight face and I take note that Diana moves herself between Tracy and Bruce.

_“I brought her here because I knew she would be safe. I couldn’t leave her there. Not with them. I already broke my promise once, I wouldn’t do it again…”_

##  **Flashback: 7 years ago**

> They kept us in dark, dirty cells in a black if them, that looked like we were being housed in an old prison. I have been here for years and everyday I wake up feels like a fresh hell. We slept two to a cell, however I didn’t have a roommate right now. The last one was a 22 year old Hispanic girl they took away and she never came back. It was common at this point, they took away so many girls that never came back. 
> 
> I learned a long time ago to stop crying about it because these guards and scientists could smell your fear, and no matter how much you cried and begged. They would always take you. It was rare that you even made it back to a cell without severe damage. It was still lit for the block and I sat on the top bunk re-reading an old, worn copy of Alice in Wonderland. This place didn’t have much in the way of books, despite them having kept me learning. I wasn’t allowed too many that weren’t educational. Under the guise of more possible success ‘if I wasn’t stupid’ I had been here since I was 16 and based on the dates I could glean from the other children they had taken, I was somewhere around 19 now. 
> 
> The longest ‘candidate’ they had here. I had been through so many tests and trials that I wondered why my body hadn’t just given up on me. I wanted to go already. To see my momma again, not to suffer through this pain anymore. I was simply biding my time until that happened. 
> 
> Alice was talking to Twiddledum and Twiddledee when I heard muffled crying and a dragging of feet. The worst guard, Jax, manhandles a small girl into my cell. Tossing her inside so hard she slams against the wall, yelping in her surprise agony. I leap down quickly.
> 
> _“Hey you jackass, she is just a little girl!”_
> 
> I stand between the two of them. I fight off my feelings of disgust as I watch him lear over me, the industrial lights of the corridor shining off of his bald head, and his lips curling back to reveal crooked and yellowed teeth that looked like dude had never had a relationship with toothpaste in his entire life. 
> 
> _“She might be, but you’re not. Are you? You know exactly what happens to little girls with bad attitudes.”_
> 
> I try not to let fear show across my face. He was right, I knew the stakes of bad behavior, shit I probably was the reason they didn’t have as much push back from the other girls and boys they took. I was always made an example of when it came down to punishment for what they deemed breaking the rules. Hell, early on, they beat me often I didn’t even know what I was being beat for by the end of it. Jax has been around the entire time I had been here and he took sick pleasure in how we cried and bled on cold, stone floors. Now he just looks at me like he’s waiting for the perfect opportunity to get me alone.
> 
> _“Yes I do, and Unless you are coming to take me away for that, then get the fuck out my cell.”_
> 
> His eyes flashover in anger, and before I can make note of it he slaps me down to the ground. I scream out in pain, and catch myself on my hands. 
> 
> _“Still so feisty, you would think you would have learned your lesson by now.”_
> 
> _“Fuck you.”_
> 
> He leans down laughing at me as I wipe the blood from my lip.
> 
> _“You ask me nice enough Sweetheart and I will.”_
> 
> I frown my mouth up in disgust, and try to scoot backwards.
> 
> _“Keep holding your bad ass breath, the fuck you’ve been eating, dog shit?.”_ I snark.
> 
> _“I have a feeling I won’t have to wait that long. The boss is thinking of approving some new techniques to bring out the success in his experiments. Trust me I’ve got some interesting ideas.”_
> 
> Then he laughs, walking out of the cell, slamming it closed, locking it.
> 
> _“You should probably teach the little one some manners. I would hate to have to teach her a hard lesson.”_
> 
> With that he whistles back down the cell block.
> 
> _“Sick fuck.”_
> 
> I say pulling myself off the ground, dusting off the tank top and sweatpants I was wearing. The small girl was huddled in the corner, her sniffles obvious in the silence of the cell. 
> 
> I walk up to her slowly, and she curls in on herself. I remember doing this exact same thing years ago.
> 
> _“My name is Gia…ummm… Gia Smith. What’s your name?”_
> 
> She sniffed, finally looking at me, her eyes big and brown. Her lips were small and red from being worried, her hair light brown and super tight curls. She was actually similar to me except she was mixed with white and black making her a few shades lighter than me, smaller, really just a baby.
> 
> _“My n…na..name is Tracy.”_
> 
> I held my hand out to her, hoping she would take it.
> 
> _“Okay Tracy, how old are you?”_
> 
> _*sniffle* “9._ ”
> 
> _“Okay baby well, how about you get off this cold floor and you can have the bottom bunk.”_
> 
> _“Ms…Gia I am scared.”_
> 
> My heart broke for this beautiful little girl. She was obviously so loved from wherever they had snatched her from and it hurt that she was even here, having to endure this same type of pain and life I was in everyday. She gets up, running unexpectedly into my arms. The force of it almost knocked me off my feet, I didn’t have much strength but I held the sobbing little girl as tight as I could….

##  ***End Flashback***

Standing in the corner, despite her hair being completely straight and being taller, she still was that same little girl that was thrown in my cell all those years ago. 

For a year I basically took care of her, taking all of the punishments, helping her with the work they gave her, gave her my share of food sometimes when she was still hungry, cleaned and comforted her when they would take her away for hours and she would come back a mess, battered, and sometimes unconscious. 

Those were the nights I would stay up all night crying and hoping each time wouldn’t be the time that they took her out of the cell forever. It was the reason I had never gotten close to anyone here, because that day that I broke out, I forgot and I broke my promise to Tracy. 

Now as we all stood in Bruce’s giant foyer the tension was real. I walked back over to Tracy, her eyes were still brown, the little girl I helped all those years ago still there, but burrowed behind years of torture and pain. Almost killing her, but I knew that sweet girl was still there. She looked much older but she couldn’t be any other than 16 now, which bothered about having her in that club, drinking and dressed like she currently was. 

_“Tracy, do you think you would like some different clothes? I know I have something upstairs that will fit you?”_

She looked at me, and then shut her eyes tightly as if trying to fight off a memory. I knew that was probably the case as I had recognized that hunted look on my own face plenty of times.

I look at Bruce.

_“Would it be okay if she stays the night? We can figure everything else in the morning?”_

_“You trust her?”_

He asks skeptically 

_“Yes.”_

I say without hesitation, surprising almost everyone except for Clark.

_“Sure.”_

I help Tracy upstairs to my room and once inside I find her something comfortable to sleep in.

_“Why do you trust me?”_

Tracy surprises me, asking as I go over to the bathroom, to pull out fresh towels for her.

_“Because I know you, you may have gotten older but I know you Tracy. I know you are still in there and while you may not feel like it, maybe she’s buried deep, but I know the little girl I shared a room with for a year is still there. I hope that with a little trust from me that she will trust me enough again to reappear. I am going to head downstairs and I have someone very important to check on, but if you need just for me or Clark and we will come back up. You can sleep in my room tonight.”_

I offer a small smile, her mind still doesn’t fully trust me, but she still knows she is tired of following whoever this boss was and deep down she remembered what I did for her all those years back. I leave the room as she goes into the bathroom. As tired as I am I manage a shield to notify me if she leaves the room, and I could monitor her energy from anywhere in the house. 

The team had moved into the library as I walked back in and I winced as the thoughts hit me again. I tried not to drop to the floor and Clark helped me into the nearby chair. 

_“Gia, what happened to you?”_

Diana has rushed over to me as Clark helps me relax with a centering hand on my back. Her mind, along with everyone else’s runs a mile a minute. I toss a finger over my lips, and say

_“Can everyone just like… focus on like one thought for like five minutes? Jesus.”_

I says rubbing my temples.

_“Did she just say focus on one thought?”_

Barry says 

_“Yes I did, and shit you think almost as fast as you are, slow down for a second kid. Plus all of you are thinking really loud.”_

_“Gia what happened? You’ve developed the ability to read minds?”_

Bruce asks me, with his hand on his chin.

_“Yes. The last thing I remember after being taken was me talking to a man and his basically authorizing them to start new tests. After that I came to with Clark tied to a chair, and me dressed like this. Speaking of which…”_

I waved my hand and the annoyingly short and tight outfit I was wearing changed into yoga pants and a t- shirt. Grateful to feel so exposed anymore.

_“That’s better. I can tell you guys details from what isn’t foggy but where is my son first?”_

I look to Clark pointedly.

_“Our son is with Ma’ and Ms. Alphonse at the farm.”_

_“Ms. Alphonse?”_

_“She didn’t want to leave until you returned. We all figured Kalen would need familiar faces around while you were gone.”_

Alfred offers the conversation and I tear up as it hits me how much I missed my baby boy. How freaked out he must have been not to see his mom. 

_“Can I…we go to him? I need to see my baby…”_

_“Gia I will go and get him, he has been waking up at 6 am anyway. It’s practically 5 now, by the time we get here he will just be waking up. You can go get some rest.”_

_“I am not sleeping until I see Kalen. I can’t hold the shield I put over Tracy’s room all the way at Mrs. Martha’s. I can’t leave.”_

_“Bruce you have virtual driver mode on all of the cars correct?”_

Victor asks

“ _Yes.”_

_“Good, Clark give your mother a call and let her know a car will be there to pick them all up in about an hour.”_

I shoot a grateful look to Victor and I take note that the loud thoughts have all stopped while I wasn’t thinking about them but as soon as I did they came back full force. I wince, Clark notices and shakes his head. His voice speaks clearly above everyone else latent thoughts. 

_“Okay that’s enough, Gia you are in pain. We can finish this in the morning. You have been through enough. I’m taking you to bed.”_

His voice books no argument but that didn’t mean Barry didn’t think anything.

_***** “Well that was fast. Didn’t think they were together again, but I guess he missed her, urges are urges…I mean shit…you can hear me can’t you Gia.” *****_

_“ Yes Barry. I can.”_

He blushes and I laugh. While everyone else looks on confused.

_“Clark would be correct. Everything has been a haze and the lack of sleep is not helping this new power at all.”_

I stand to my feet, Clark hovering and he toys with the idea of tossing me over his shoulder. I turn to him with a glare, and shake my head.

_“I’m tired, not unconscious Clark.”_

I eye roll and he chuckles behind me. 

_**“Gia we are all glad you are safe. I will be here if you need anything.”**_

Diana offers and I know it’s sincere. I offer a small smile to her and everyone else despite my head ringing, and Clark takes my hand in his to lead me upstairs…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/n: HEY EVERYONE! Hope you enjoyed this chapter and as always I appreciate all the love you guys have been showing me with this story! Also the bookmark and replies are great and helps me move forward and write faster! You rock!!  
> Come hang out with me on Tumblr!  
> \- Singeramg  
> name: You don't think this is funny!


	19. Can we be a family?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gia has her doubts...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/n: Here is Chapter 19! As you all can tell my creative juices are flowing and while this chapter is also shorter than I would like, I promise I will more than make up for it in the next chapter.
> 
> Warnings: Ummm.... lang. for you faint of heart folks Lol. Mostly tame.

##  **Midnight: Chapter 19**

Clark bypasses my room and goes to Kalen’s. There is not much talking as he goes into the bathroom and starts a shower. I summon clothes from next door and go into the shower. I hear the TV switch on low volume to some Kansas City Chiefs rerun and a tired sigh. I let the hot water run down my body, as the events of the day catch up with me. I remembered only bits and pieces of everything that had happened. One thing I remembered clearly was the letter. After everything that happened between us, could there even still be anything between Clark and I? I was still struggling with trusting my own feelings and trusting that I was even lovable. How could I be the one he wanted?

I was now even more broken and apparently I was now going through some sort of new mutation of my powers? Would he still be around for someone who couldn’t handle people’s thoughts? Maybe not even be able to learn to respect his?

I got out the shower and dressed in the shorts and tank top I summoned. Modesty was out the window at this point. The man had seen me in way less and had been inside of me. I could manage to be in shorts and a tank in the same bed.

When I came out Clark had stripped down to his boxers and his white beater top. 

_“Are you going to join me? Or don’t tell me you are getting shy on me now.”_

He cracks a joke, waving his arm toward the bed despite the nerves rolling off of him. I feel terrible about it, the reason for his nerves weren’t on the surface of his thoughts, but I could guess it was only because he was nervous that I would force myself into him again. 

_“I didn’t think you’d want me in with you. Especially after I sexually assaulted you earlier.”_

I look down and Clark surprises me with a laugh.

_“Gia, let me assuage some of your guilt. I am not counting that as sexual assault on my person.”_

I look at him confused. I toss my hand on my hip and stare pointedly and confused while standing about 3 ft away from the edge of the bed that he was sitting on.

_“Clark I had you tied to a chair and sat on your lap while I grabbed your dick. If that’s not assault I don’t know what is.”_

He looks at me with honest and open blue eyes.

_“I’ll let you in on a little secret. Despite you not being in your right mind, if you were, that would have been something of a wet dream. You dressed in tight spandex, taking exactly what you want from me. I feel ashamed for wanting to go along with it.”_

My jaw dropped, I’m sure it looked comical but it didn’t feel comical. I tried to play it cool even though I was stumbling over my words.

_“I..Umm... Didn’t realize you had a masochistic streak.”_

_“Usually I don’t. I’ve felt like I have been so out of control of my own life that giving it up in my bedroom, a place where I should have final say is not my thing but lingering in my mind every time I see you show up as Midnight in that same material suit I’ve been thinking about us doing almost exactly what we did back in that compound at least once.”_

My eyes had to be comically wide, he had to be able to hear my heart rate tick up. I saw images of Clark and I flash across my mind, clearly not generated by me. Clark pushes forward some of his own emotions and views of me on top of him earlier. I bite my lower lip as he sends a bevy of emotions that despite being sore, with a headache made me want to jump him. 

The other side of me was scared. I didn’t want to do this again with him. To get my hopes up, that the feelings from so long ago lingered up until now? I remembered how he brought me out of my programming, the love he had to pour into me for it to work however there was always a voice in my head that told me we would never work. 

Clark reaches his hand out toward me, his fingers wrapping around my wrist and adding just enough pressure to imply that I come closer to him. I did. His large hands come to my hips and I try not to shiver.

_“You think loud.”_ I offer him as I reach up, resting my hand on his shoulder. 

_“And you overthink.”_ He counters

The tension is thick in the room, I am standing close enough to him that the energy is bouncing between us. 

_“Clark I just think...”_

_“Exactly, you are overthinking. Tonight let’s make it simple. We can sort the rest out later but let me tell you exactly what I want right now. All I want right now is for us to just be us. Be here in the moment. No expectations, no confusion, no talking to mess things up. Just us.”_

I smirk, part of the reason he was suggesting no talking was because he didn’t want to say the wrong thing to me again. He didn’t want to lose this moment again.

We lock eyes and I lean down and press my lips to his for the first time in my right mind and it feels just as good now as it did almost four years ago. His hand trails behind my head as his tongue slides into my mouth. I whimper slightly and before either of us could fall into it anymore I hear the door open downstairs and footsteps coming up the stairs. It was enough to break whatever was building up in the TV lit room. We pull away from each other. 

_“Now that you’ve stolen my breath away, do you think you could do one more thing for me Clark Kent?”_

_“Anything you want.”_

_“Can we just be a family tonight?”_

I ask him softly, kinda afraid he was going to say no, that maybe I was reading him wrong. I hoped he would be kind enough for this. Just to play this moment out for now. 

Clark just stands up going over to the door. He says thank you and takes Kalen from Bruce’s arms and lies him in the bed. Then he takes my hand, pulling me so that we are on the empty side of the King sized bed. He tosses the covers back with the free hand that is not holding mine, and then he urges me into it with a tilt of his head. I get in the extremely comfortable bed, moving over so there’s enough room for a Clark and I turn to look at my peacefully sleeping kid. I had missed his face so much. I run my hand down his face, the slightly cherubic cheeks and reddish pink lips poured and slightly open in sleep. Clark gets in behind me, his thick arm wraps over my waist, and I put my hand on top of his and press myself into his arms even more. 

_“I think we can manage that for more than just a night.”_

This was the moment I had seen in my mind's eye all those years ago when I had first developed my crush on Clark. Even if this was only for the night, I could never forget this moment with him...

##  ***The Next Morning***

I could feel Kalen began to wake and I was grateful that he had at least slept until the sun was fully in the sky. It didn’t negate that I was still exhausted but it did help me to adjust to waking up. Clark had started coming to the minute he heard Kalen’s heart rate begin to increase. 

***** _“Gia are you awake?”_ **_*_ **

He asks me in his head and I crack open my eyes slowly, trying to adjust before Kalen fully woke up. At some point in the few hours I had been sleeping, I had turned and folded against Clark’s chest. He was still holding me securely and I relished in the few moments before Kalen’s eyes popped open and he practically yells

_“Mommy!!!!!”_

He jumps on my back, and Clark’s arm takes much of the force from the dense little boy. He actually pulls his arm from being pinned as Kalen latch's on to my back like a koala bear. Clark gives him a second before he lifts him off my back and onto his chest so he can see my face properly, Kalen doesn’t sit still. 

I turn onto my back and Kalen climbs on my chest to my stomach and presses excited kisses onto my cheeks.

_“There’s my baby! Good morning my Kalen!”_

_“Momma! Momma you here! You came back because you were gone a looooonnnggg time mommy. I think that you will not come back. Where you go?”_

I give Kalen a smile, trying not to appear sad. I had missed him so much and I could only hope he hadn’t been too affected by my absence. 

_“Well... mommy had to help a friend of hers who was far away and bring them back. Did you have fun with your dad, grandma and Ms. A?”_

He nods furiously, and his thoughts are fragmented like I imagined a child’s to be. He was thinking at a million miles per minute. All of the things he deemed fun including seeing if his toys could float in the bath, and running his father ragged. He thought it was hilarious to see Clark do a fake pass out or letting Kalen over power him. Clark was seeing the opposite where he honestly felt like he was in over his head, the guilt of needing so much more help than he thought I needed.

_“I bet you did. Well mama missed you, and momma is hungry and I bet your dad is too so how about we go see if we can find some food huh?”_

Kalen scrambles out of the bed and I follow behind to help him get dressed for the day while Clark goes and takes a shower. Kalen gets dressed and I lead him next door, where I can tell my shield is still holding up. The energy inside tells me Tracy is awake but not hostile. Confused, hungry but not hostile. Kalen and I knock so as not to scare her. We entered shortly after.

Tracy is sitting in bed with the legs folded one over the other and watching some Spongebob Squarepants, her hair plaited into two braids as they try to dry. 

_“Good Morning Tracy. How are you?”_

She looks at me, for the first time without a grimace or evil look on her face. Her mind was at ease, thoughts mostly on identifying the small child at my feet. 

_“It was nice to wake up when I want, take a shower with hot water for longer than 10 minutes. You have very nice soap by the way.”_

_“Glad to see that you are enjoying the amenities. I came to see if you would like to join us downstairs for breakfast?”_

Tracy looks down To my knees where Kalen has wrapped himself around my right side.

_“I take it that means the two of you. Who might this be?”_

I kneel down to Kalen’s level and smile at him in comfort as he tries to put his hand in his mouth.

_“Baby this my good friend Tracy. Can you say hi to her for me? Hand out your mouth please young sir.”_

I say pulling his hand out his mouth gently and he doesn’t try to put it back. Instead he gives a small wave at her. 

_“Tracy this is Kalen.”_

_“Don’t tell me you had a baby. I didn’t come here to be your live-in-teenaged babysitter.”_

She says lightheartedly and stands to her feet. I laugh and stand up tall again.

_“Yes I had a child and no I did not bring you here to watch him. I can take care of Kalen just fine thank you. So are you coming down or not?”_

_“I can’t eat air now can I?”_ Sarcasm drips from her but I’m just grateful it wasn’t malice.

_“No but a fist is not too far off.”_

I joke and go over to my closet, while Kalen mindlessly becomes entranced by the TV. Tracy surprises me by putting him in the bed so he could watch. I looked in my closet and decided on something to wear, snapping my fingers into a pair of jeans and a tank top covered with a coral colored kimono coverup.

Tracy had followed me to the closet, but stood there looking as if she wanted something but didn’t know what to say.

_“ I get nervous when you are silent like that. Something on your mind?”_

I look at her again, her left foot draws a small pattern on the plush carpet.

_“I just...ummm”_

I scan her mind again. She needed a change in clothes but didn’t know how to ask me. I go into my closet and find something for her to wear. I hold out a hoodie and pants for her, and she takes them, heading toward the bathroom to change.

_“You know Tracy, for the record you don’t have to ask me for clean clothes. Take your time and come down when you are ready.”_

I leave with Kalen and a smile...

The downstairs was bustling with activity as we met for breakfast in the actual formal dining room because there were so many of us in the manor. Bruce was having his normal coffee and toast, Alfred to his left, Diana and Victor were discussing some new discoveries on the human genome based on an article they both read, and Barry was about to begin inhaling the enormous plate of food in front of him. Ms. A and Martha jumped to their feet, both holding me tight. I sighed and just let myself be embraced by my adoptive mothers. 

_“I am so glad Clark found you.”_ Mrs. Martha says with tears in her eyes.

I hug them back, taking in their different scents while both of them still smelled familiar to me.

_“I am glad he found me too. Thank you both for helping with Kalen.”_

_“You never have to thank us for that.”_

Ms. Alphonse says to me with a smile and turns to look at Kalen who is just excited to see them, gives both women their hugs and tries to get breakfast. I sat next to him and helped make a plate for him. Idle chatter circulated until I could feel Tracy come down stairs. She had actually not decided to wear what I gave her, deciding on a white summer dress and beige and rope colored sandals. With the two buns on the top of her head and no make up she actually looked like the teenager she was rather than what others had tried to make her.

_“Come on in Tracy, you have to be hungry.”_

She is nervous, and unsure of what to do so I kicked a chair out slightly for her with a smirk. She relaxes enough to sit down and grabs some toast. 

_“So Tracy I take it you will be staying for a while.”_

She nodded at Bruce’s question.

_“Yes.”_

She was nervous and didn’t trust anyone.I sent calming energy her direction. She is nervous that someone will take her food away, this breaks my heart so I reach over and scoop some eggs on her plate, then Clark comes bounding down the stairs, his energy high and his emotions calm, they only change slightly at Tracy, because he wasn’t sure if he could trust her. Truthfully, none of them were sure about Tracy, but I wasn’t giving up on her. Clark is smart enough to know that it wasn’t going to do good for anyone and especially not Tracy any good by treating her badly.

_“Morning everyone.”_

He fluffs Kalen’s hair and pours himself a coffee. Kalen for all the toddler trouble he gave Clark while I was gone was still basically obsessed with his father, and judging by the way Clark emotions were ecstatic every time Kalen even looked at him he was too. As soon as Clark sits down he doesn’t have a moment before Kalen is crawling over to his lap. He tries to reach for the hot coffee but Clark pulls it away.

_“Oh no. No coffee for you just yet. I’d say you got at least 15 more years before that becomes a thing. You want some more eggs?”_

_“No. I wan co-fee”_

I shake my head and push Kalen’s plate toward Clark.

_“Kalen, you heard him say no, so no means no. Besides, your dad looks really hungry. He is going to eat your food.”_

Clark raises his eyebrows at Kalen as if to say he didn’t know, but he had better make a choice, When Kalen doesn’t go to eat, Clark picks up a piece of sausage and slowly bring it to his mouth and Kalen starts to whimper and then cry, his hair turning fire truck red. I laugh as Clark hands the link to him and goes back to his coffee, and then Kalen becomes very involved in his food and his hair turns back to its dark color. 

_“So Gia you weren’t going to tell me you got busy with Superman.”_

Tracy asks me with a smirk and the room gets silent. I laugh which significantly reduces the tension in the room.

“ _Well telling you who my baby fava is not high on the to-do list.”_

I joke and cut into my waffle...

##  ***Later***

_“So I’ve been doing some more research. I tracked Clark’s flight pattern last night via satellite monitors. Good News is that I found a clear path from there to here, bad news is that the facility was destroyed 30 minutes after you left. Controlled explosions leveled the place, but not before their computer system backed up to a remote server.”_

We were all down in the batcave, while Kalen, Martha and Ms. A were all upstairs. Victor was sitting in front of the computer typing away, trying to get more information. I was leaning on his shoulder, while Bruce leaned on the other side next to one of the other screens. 

_“So what does that mean?”_

_“It means that unless I can get access to the hard database servers then my access to this data is limited. I, however, did a little more digging. The building before it was destroyed was shelled out to a bunch of companies, before ultimately belonging to the government.”_

I stepped back slightly, mostly in disbelief.

_“What, the Government? You are telling me the government is in on abducting kids and making them experiments?”_

**_“I don’t know who is into what. I was able to glean a little information during its transfer to offsite. Does the city of Freeland, Georgia mean anything to you Gia?”_**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/n: So as I mentioned at the beginning of this I mentioned this would be shorter, hopefully it doesn’t disappoint. This story is becoming a way to take my mind off everything else while we are all on lockdown! I am already done with chapter 20 and whew....  
> That’s all I am going to tell y’all!   
> Thank you for reading, you all are awesome


	20. You never listen...Do You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clark and Gia have a little discussion about Freeland...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Okay so I finished this one up as well and honestly I wanted to get it up so I can set my own record for the most chapters I could get posted in one day. I am excited! 
> 
> Warning: Smut! I would say Dom Clark, but its more of a frustrated Clark seeing as Gia never listens to him. Rough mostly...

##  **Midnight: Chapter 20**

_“Freeland? My mom was from Freeland, she left one night and never looked back.”_

I looked at the room who were all looking at me in expectation of an answer I couldn’t give them. I look at the screen as a photo of an unfamiliar black man comes up on the screen, an old grainy quality photo shows him smiling at a desk somewhere. His smile is kind, but I truly had no clue of who this man was. 

_“What’s in Freeland?”_ Barry asks as innocent as always.

_“There is not much but some of the files that got transferred have mention of an article done by Alvin Pierce. Considering there weren’t computers back then and his article was never actually published I can’t tell you exactly how this is all connected to the experiments but I have a feeling you find out what his research was about then we will have a solid start to put whoever is after you behind bars forever.”_

I nod in agreement.

_“Looks like a trip to Freeland is in order. Got an address for me Vic?”_

I ask in a fun tone, looking to get answers for my questions and to my pesky problem of people trying to kidnap me, Clark stands up from where he was leaning on the wall previously, the black rimmed glasses he didn’t need tucked into his shirt pocket. I can feel his flash of worry hit me as the idea processes through his mind.

_“Woah, woah, woah. Gia. Hold on, I don’t think you going to Georgia is the best idea.”_

I look at him with an eyebrow raised.

_“ It’s a sneak and peek visit Clark. Go down there, do a little digging and come back.”_

_“ Gia you just got back.”_

_“It’s one night Clark.”_

I can tell by the look on his face this conversation was not over by a long shot.

> _***-** “We will talk about this later” _he says while looking at me pointedly.*
> 
> *- _Fine. Wait you can’t even hear me but if you could I’d tell you to calm the hell down.”*_
> 
> *- _Gia you must have forgotten you can project your thoughts. I CAN HEAR YOU.”*_
> 
> “Shit. I mean…damn… I mean get out of my head!”

He laughs inside of mind

My eyes widen and Clark raises one eyebrow this time as if daring me to say something. I choose to look away, finally taking note that the room is staring at us…again.

_“Umm…Gia maybe Clark is right. You should stay here and rest.”_

Diana says softly, placing her hand on my shoulder.

_“I can’t rest. Don’t y’all get it? Whoever is after me won’t stop. They won’t rest until they have me back in their claws. I am going to Freeland. Victor can you please get me an address.”_

_“I’ll go with you. I can protect you in case someone tries to take you again.”_ Diana offers. 

_“An beautiful Amazonian woman and a gorgeous Black Methuman together is bound to attract unnecessary attention.”_

I say with a smirk.

_“How about I go too. An extra set of hands on the ground, Diana can keep the plane going in case we need a quick take off and not far in case we need an extra set of hands.”_

Barry offers and I mildly wonder where he got the bag of sour cream and onion chips from but say nothing about them. I, along with everyone else, turned to Clark who was somewhat the unofficial head of the team, Bruce had said nothing, only keenly observing like he always did. I knew he would only step up if he had to butt in. 

_“And you know I’m always on surveillance. So really it’s like almost the whole team except you, Bruce and Arthur.”_

***-** “ _Still not done talking about this Gia_.” *****

He says to me in his mind, and waves of unhappiness comes from him but out loud he says.

_“Fine. Just an in and out trip. Do not engage with anybody or anything. Find the information we need to end this and come home.”_

I smile slightly and we go about planning the quick trip…

##  ***Upstairs***

Kalen was down for a nap, Ms. A and Martha we’re enjoying being kid free for a few hours by watching TV and doing some online shopping, the rest of the team had gone off to do their own things until those who were going had to suit up. Clark and I went into another one of Bruce’s rooms that wasn’t currently occupied by someone and seeing as Tracy had gone back to mine to watch TV and contemplate if she was doing the right thing by being here, we needed to talk in a different room.

Clark was still not happy about me going on this trip, his thick arms crossed over his chest as I threw up a noise canceling shield for the room. As I did he started up with me.

_“Gia I still don’t think you should go.”_

_“Clark, I can’t let this go. These people after us they won’t stop. I can’t live my life afraid and looking around every corner. I subject Kalen to constant moving and identify changes and denying him the chance to be a child.”_

_“Anyone else can handle this mission. You were just kidnapped! You haven’t even been back a full 24 hours and you already are trying to run off again. I think Kalen would want you here with him not off chasing a big bad that we haven’t even identified yet!”_

Clark has a vein popping out the side of his forehead out of anger and because I was already still on edge I was pissed too.

_“And what do you think this shit is just going to stop?! It won’t until me and Tracy are locked back in that jail cell of a room. Until every part of the Gia you all know is gone. Can you say you will put me down if I’m so far gone that all I know is this synergy persona they created? They almost succeeded in tearing me away from my son!”_

_“I can protect you both. There is no need to put you down because nobody will have the chance to get to you if you just listen!”_

Clark was pissed, I was pissed and I truly didn’t feel like punching Superman dead in his shit right now. He wasn’t getting it at all, literally all he wanted to see was me being helpless, but he didn’t realize I couldn’t let that define me at all. I had to do this. I had to fight for me.

_“I am listening to Clark! I am hearing you loud and clear. I can feel you too! You have zero confidence in me. You think someone is going to snatch me again…”_

_“Gia let’s shoot straight here. Did you or did you not go to work after we repeatedly told you it was a bad idea?”_

_“Yes but…”_

_“I am not finished talking.”_

I stood glaring at him and crossing my arms.

_“Gia did you or did you not lead them home after we fought Steppenwolf because you were too prideful to talk to me?”_

_“It wasn’t pride…”_

_“I am not finished yet.”_

I wasn’t going to admit that despite me being highly annoyed with Clark right now, he looked good wearing his confidence. For now all I wanted to do was let him finish talking. I could tell this conversation was getting to him too, as his anger became tainted with his own thunderstorm of emotions.

_“Go on then. Keep talking. Tell me more about the failure I am.”_

I say with an eye roll. Clark being Clark does not like this and starts backing me up, my back hits the sturdy door. I feel my breath hitch in my chest as I become surrounded in Clark’s scent again. The tension went from anger to anger and sexuality. 

_“You always have to say something smart don’t you?”_

_“Since when don’t I have something to say? You know me better than that Clark.”_

He comes up to me, his arms caging me in on either side of my face. 

_“Exactly and I know you well enough to know that you are using that smart mouth to divert the attention from talking about your problems.”_

_“What problem do you think I have Mr. Kent?”_

I know he can hear my heart rate pick up because instead of being angry at me he only gives me that smirk, the one that he only gives when his mind is on something other than his high morality. 

_“You think you have to do all of it by yourself still. So hardheaded and you won’t listen until you are hurt oooorrrr…. otherwise occupied. Between you and me I think we both would prefer the other way I get you to listen.”_

I look up at him from under my lashes, and slide my hands up his chest, grasping the dark gray t-shirt he was wearing underneath his favored blue plaid shirt. It was my favorite too but I wasn’t going to tell him that. I gripped the shirt and pulled him down to where our lips could meet. 

Every time I kissed Clark it was like a religious experience. I never forgot how his lips felt against mine, in all these years, even under control of someone else, he still feels the same. His tongue presses into my mouth and immediately dominates it unlike the previous kisses, he was making it clear that he was in charge this go ‘round. I was more than okay with it and as his hands slid down to my hips, I tossed mine around my neck. Clark picks me up and I lock my legs around his waist. I moan into his mouth when I feel his length pressing on my core through my jeans. I wasn’t paying attention to how close we were to the bed until he threw me onto it suddenly, both our chests heaving. This was the beauty in my powers because I got the full rebound of both my emotions as well as Clark’s. I could double it back out to him, but honestly his own arousal was enough. 

_“Are you ready to listen yet?”_

He asks me but I decide to cheat a little and listen to his thoughts. None of what he wanted to do was concrete, quick images fly on the surface of his mind, clearly this was intentional. He was playing with my lack of training with my new powers. One thing is clear however he was ready to teach me a lesson and I was more than willing to let him. Foreplay wasn’t even needed because I could feel my panties were already ruined and my jeans were going to follow if I didn’t get them off. I snap my fingers, sending my clothes somewhere that I didn’t care about in the moment. Clark basically all but rips his clothes down the middle to get them off. Next thing I know he is back on top of me, and his fingers find my center.

 _“Already dripping for me…”_ he says with a low growl in his voice.

_“Yes for you Kent. Who else would it be for?”_

I can’t turn off the snark and I know it’s egging on his need to ruin me. I wanted to see how far he would go. He goes back to hovering over me, my breasts heaving against his chest.

_“Do you ever shut up Gia?”_

“ _Well it’s a skill I have yet to ma-STER!”_

Clark had surprised me by pushing into me, without a warning. I hiss and latch to his back our positioning similar to the first time we had done this. I need time to adjust to the sudden intrusion, and his size, but he knew that which was why he wasn’t moving. The only reason he hadn’t gone in slowly was to shut me up. Can’t say I was all together upset at his action, but as the discomfort faded roll my hips and try to get him to move.

_“Oh no, you are not the one in control here.”_

_“Oohhh really?”_

_“Yes really. I told you yesterday I like to keep my control and you are clearly out of it. It’s my turn…”_

***A Hour Later…***

_“FUCK! Harder Clark Harder! Shit!”_

We were long past taking our time, or playing it safe. This was not even like our first time, this was actually the opposite. Currently, I was face down, spine curved as I took back shots from Clark, who was making it his mission to make me pay for every snarky or smart comment I had said to him since we met. Apparently the only payment he was accepting was my orgasms. 

His right hand was holding me by the hip, the other sliding up my spine and then into my hair. He leans down, breathing against my ear. 

_“Are you ready to listen to me yet?”_

My hand grasps on top of the one that was on my hip, and I clench down purposefully on him. He groans and his thrusts falter slightly, and his grip gets tighter in my hair and hip. It was even more of a turn on to see how well he kept control of his strength.

_“Yes! Shit yes!”_

He slows down, his strokes getting deeper, but slower until it’s less thrusting and more of a rolling grind. For someone who had always seemed like his sense of morality made Everything vanilla with him, he surely knew how to wring the pleasure out of me. With Clark pressing his weight onto me, my knees falter and I drop to the mattress. He didn’t stop thrusting and I bit my lips, the tang of blood slightly on my lips.

_“We could have been doing this. I could have been making you feel like this. You were too hard headed. Now you say you were ready to listen to me, but how do I know you will?”_

My walls were fluttering around his cock as I was about to cum again for the umpteenth time in a manner of an hour. 

_“Clark I promise I’ll listen!”_ I say with my stomach tightening and a whimper blended in. I was not a whiny type of girl but damn be if I wasn’t right now. 

_“The next time I ask you not to do something, you will listen to me right?”_

_“Yes!”_

Unexpectedly, he gets back onto his knees, and pulls me up so his chest is against my back, thrusting upwards, and uses my hair to turn my head to the side. He kisses me roughly, his fingers rubbing my clit as the head of his cock rubs at my g spot at this angle, and with one of his hands goes around my throat, It takes no time at all to bounce right into the hardest orgasm of the night, which Clark and his super stamina finally falters and he falls over the edge right behind me, filling me up deeply, my name falling off his lips and both of us out of breath, which considering who Clark was, was a feat within itself.

The light shimmer of the door tells me the noise cancelling shield was still intact even if my legs weren’t. Clark hadn’t pulled out and it seemed like he didn’t want to. He just pulls me back into his arms after turning me around, and despite us being hot, sticky and sweaty it felt nice. I run my hands over the forearm that was wrapped around me, and he plays with the ends of my hair. We lay in silence for a while before he breaks it.

_“Gia I realized while you were gone that I might be Superman but I am not strong.”_

_“Did you try and stop a burning oil rig from falling again?”_

I joke and Clark gives me a smile and laughs but I can tell he is serious.

“No. I just realized I am not as strong as you. Somehow you were able to pick up the pieces of your life and be strong for yourself and Kalen. I couldn’t do that. I failed…”

_“Clark hush. You did not fail.”_

_“But I did. Gia when I thought that you had died in that wreck. When I couldn’t hear your heartbeat anymore, I shut down. I couldn’t imagine living in a world without you in it. That’s why I am paranoid about you going anywhere without me. Even a sneak and peek trip with these people after you could have been taken away from us. I can’t let that happen. Not again.”_

I sigh as Clark’s feelings of paranoia, concern and fear meld into his feelings of Love. 

_“A long time ago Gia I promised you that I would leave you alone, that I would say away until you called but that’s a promise I have to break.”_

_“Clark at this point if you try to leave I might have to chain you down again.”_

We both laugh.

_“No but really honestly. I can’t keep lying to you or to myself. I can’t keep hiding my feelings for you from you because quite frankly it’s exhausting. I love you Clark Kent. I loved you all those years ago and I still do.”_

He breath catches and for a quick moment I fear he would forget forever on how to work his lungs. All the other emotions rolling around with him fade away and his mind basically goes blank.

_“I love you too Gia Smith and I hate that it took me so long to say it but I promise I’ll spend forever trying to prove it.”_

_“You already have.”_

Before he can respond there is a knock on the door.

_“So…I…um.. I lost at rock, paper, scissors which is pitiful because I am fast enough to change my answer but not faster than Victor’s computer eye playback. So anyway, yeah, Umm… Diana says we should be getting ready to leave for Freeland soon. If you can ummm…hear me in there then I guess…”_

Clark and I laugh again as I cancel the shield. I had to put poor Barry out of his misery.

_“Barry yes, we can hear you just fine. Tell Diana and the others we will be down in 20 minutes.”_

Barry must have run back downstairs and back up because he says

_“Ummm.. Mrs. Kent says take a shower and make it 15 and that you two had been up here long enough.”_

With that we both peel into laughter and Barry doesn’t stick around for a response. Clark finally pulls out and while my ladybits tingle in excitement they are more grateful for his removal. 

_“You heard the lady shower it is.”_

Clark says moving to stand while I make use of my limbs again. 

_“Go ahead it will take you less time, you’ve clearly got use of your legs. I feel like I’ve been MMA fighting with the champ.”_

Instead of walking away he leans over and lifts me up into his arms cradle style.

_“She never said not to shower together.”_

_“Yes, but I think she implied I needed to be able to walk.”_

He pretends to ponder for a moment, then shrugged. 

**_“Fine. I’ll get you clean so I can get you dirty again later…”_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/n: What did you think? Are we happy, sad, pissed, looking for quarantine cuddle buddy lol Alright folks I am done posting these chapters for the night so thank you for letting me flood your timeline! Once again I have a love-hate relationship with writing smut so let me know how you feel about it.
> 
> As always thank you for reading!


	21. Freeland, Georgia

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/n: Hey I just popped out of my academic hellhole to post a new chapter! Love you all Thank you for reading!

##  **Midnight: Chapter 21**

It was late as we headed to Freeland. Diana and Barry came along as planned, Diana flew the plane, would be keeping it running while Barry and I broke into the police station’s records department. We needed to find more information on this Alvin Pierce person and how it connected to me. 

Clark and I spent the day spending time with Kalen and Tracy, we couldn’t go out anywhere but when you had a mansion like Bruce’s then you didn’t really need to go anywhere. Kalen was just excited to have both his parents around him at the same time. He wouldn’t rest until we read him a story, funny voices included, then forced us to stay in the bed on either side of him and only then did he fall asleep. I checked in on Tracy and told her Clark was nearby if she needed anything.

It seemed that he was the only one besides myself that she trusted. Which made sense because if you couldn’t trust a man who flew you on his back, when you had super strength and had set him up to be killed just hours before, and he didn’t take the chance to drop you in the night sky where no one would find you, who could you trust?

Tracy recognized that and honestly if you wanted anyone on your side it was Superman and seeing as the plan didn’t call for Superman to be blasting through the walls so we both felt it would be more important for him to be here with Kalen, especially for such a short trip. 

_***Freeland, Georgia*** _

I wave my hand, my simple clothes changing into my Midnight suit. Diana and Barry had suited up before we even got on the plane and now that we were landing Barry was itching to run around. I toss an invisibility shield over myself and Barry, while Diana activates the cloaking technology for the jet. Barry and I jump down into the roof, and Diana heads to the outside of town where she can land in the Forest, but still close enough to get back to us. Meanwhile Victor and Bruce were watching over nearby cameras, internal cameras and Victor was using blueprints and GPS to guide us to where we needed to be inside of the building. Barry and I had dropped down from an outside vent into a supply closet. The precinct was basically empty other than the few night shift officers and a few petty criminals awaiting transport. 

_“Alright guys. The room isn’t far. Leave out the supply closet and then make a left, then on the next hallway make a right.”_

I felt for energy in the hallway and once it was clear we walked out the room. The room itself was huge and we didn’t have a clue where to start, even if we could find anything on a case so long ago. 

_“So I walked around and from what I can tell these are more organized by the year than alphabetical. So if we know when Alvin Pierce died we can find it that way.”_

_“Hey Vic…”_

_“Already on it…here we go. Alvin Pierce died in 83.”_

_“Thanks. Alright Barry let’s see if we can find something…”_

Barry goes and takes off down one of the aisles, and I follow him after. The row was divided into solved versus unsolved for that year.

_“Solved or unsolved Victor?”_

_“Unsolved. And guys hurry up I think speedy tripped some sort of silent alarm. I know you are invisible but you guys start moving boxes and they are going to know it isn’t a faulty system like I’ve led them to believe. Right now you are on a feed loop. You’ve got a max of 15 minutes before that feed does it’s auto upload into the system and resets the cameras. Then maybe another 3 minutes before they realize something is wrong and one more before they get in the room. You’re cloaked but that won’t stop them from blocking your way out. Get moving.”_

_“Yeah thanks. Diana, are you still okay out there?”_

_“Yes, just do what you have to do.”_

Barry and I begin searching the aisles and due to the sheer number and age it takes ten minutes. I use my energy to encapsulate the box and bring it down. We are just opening it when the door flies open and a blast of energy hits me dead in the stomach, tossing me all the way down the aisle and through the brick wall into the alleyway I tossed a shield to stop damage from the brick wall. Barry is by my side in a second and I toss a stronger shield up a tall black man in what seems to be an electrical suit tosses another bolt at us. From my blast I know my com isn’t active anymore. Whoever this was was sticking to a no kill policy. It didn’t mean he didn’t want to harm us. I toss my own energy at him with a free hand and this guy tosses his own shield up.

_“Flash, tell Cy and Wonder to hold. I don’t want to add to a bad scene and we still have civilians. Let us handle it for now. Go get the box!”_

Meanwhile this masked adversary leans down to our box, and it seems once he looks at the contents his eyes flash and he shoots an even more powerful blast at me, but because I was prepared for it, I could absorb it. His energy was electric and only served to power me further. I can feel his frustration and he decides to charge at me. This begins a hand to hand combat, I get a read on his emotions but his mind is blocked which no matter how new the power was, it was frustrating for it to not be working properly.

_“Who are you and what are you doing in my city?”_

His is distorted and odd, clearly meant to hide his true identity.

_“Your city? Last time I checked, no city has an owner. Why don’t you tell me who the fuck you are first. Because right now all you look like is an obstacle that needs to be removed.”_

_“And you two look like bugs that need to be squashed.”_  
  


A female voice appears from almost nowhere and she breathes before stomping on the ground with enough force to tremble the ground and crack the concrete under her feet. Because it throws me off balance I hit the ground hard enough that I miss Barry trying to get to me and being hit by a blast. He hit the ground hard and unmoving.

_“Flash?!”_

He doesn’t respond, in my fear and anger I toss a shield over him to protect him from what I am about to do.

I charge forward at them, opposite of what Clark had taught me to do, but in my case it worked to my advantage because once this tall dude let off another bolt he hands were occupied and I flipped behind him kicking him in the back on his face and this chick in the matching suit tries to call on her breath again but I’m faster as I grab her by the throat and toss her into a wall. The man’s emotions spike from fear to anger. 

_“Oh now you done pissed me off.”_

He shoots another powerful bolt at me, using a lot of his strength, but it’s odd because he can pull the electrical energy from everywhere because the block goes dark, and the only thing lit up is the lasso of energy he has wrapped around me. Now I could have absorbed it, but instead I let him lift me higher, pretending to struggle, just as I am about to kick him and then launch myself into him like a little monkey he says

_“What in the hell do you want with Alvin Pierce? Did Wells send you?”_

_“No! Who in the fuck is Wells and why should I tell you?! You are probably one of the bastards trying to kidnap me.”_

I kick off his face just as Diana drops down from seemingly the sky but I know it’s the plane still under stealth mode.

_“Let her go!”_

Diana flies over and punches him away and we both hear a gasping of air and turn just as his sidekick hits the ground as hard as she can opening a sinkhole. In a previously unprecedented move I surround us in a shield but the shield is floating. The man at this moment feels nothing but dread and honest to god fear. It throws me off because the fear is not for himself, it’s for his sidekick. He tosses another bolt but this time it’s not at us it’s at the plane, and as it is destroyed I strengthened the shield over all of us ten fold and he runs at his sidekick tossing the shield of his own up to protect her from the blast. Two things happen for me at once. First I realize his shield is not strong enough to withstand the blast debris being this close and the overwhelming love he felt for whoever was in that other suit outweighed anything else. He was literally willing to die for her to live and I connected the dots that the emotions I had been feeling from him all circled to what I would do for Kalen. 

He had to be her father or at least family. No true villain of some toady would have done that for his partner.

I toss my own shield up at the pair and brace my shields against it, having to use my hands to force back the blast into the night sky all by 

The feedback from the blast had knocked her out cold and Barry was still out. I drop to my knees, breathing heavy as the energy hurts absorbing into my body. 

The smoke in the air was thick and Diana tried to pick me up but she couldn’t. It’s almost like white noise rings in my ears and my head rings. 

_“Midnight! Can you hear me?”_

I nod and hoist myself back up resting my elbows on my knees for a few seconds and then back up to full standing. I look around at the damage, Barry is still out cold and I look to the pair and so is the sidekick chick.

_“Hey you check on Flash, I’m going to talk to them.”_

I let the shield down and the man steps in front of her body, which both are giving off extreme energy which tells me she is alive. He holds his hands up.

_“Look dude, I am not trying to hurt either of you. I just came for a little information. Not to hurt anyone or trash the city. I am Midnight.”_

I hold out my hand for him to shake. Chin high, he takes it, and I laugh as he zapped me. Clearly trying to take me down.

_“Is you finished or is you done? Look Mr. Bolts…”_

_“It’s….Black Lighting.”_

_“Fine. Mr. Black Lighting. I came for answers and I am not leaving until I get them. I’ll let you in on a little secret. One of my powers is that I can pick up emotions. Your emotions tell me you are not a bad guy. In fact, they tell me a lot about you. The most important thing about this power is it tells me that you love whoever is unconscious right now. That love is parental…”_

His eyes flashed, the lighting taking over his irises.

_“Would you calm down?! I already told you we never came to hurt anyone. Better yet we have already saved the world once as a collective…anyway. I came for that box inside, it’s the only lead I have into figuring out who Alvin Pierce was and how he relates to me.”_

_“Why do you think he would have anything to do with you?”_

_“I just need to know about an article he wrote that was never published. I need to know what he wrote about because it has something about why people are after me.”_

_“People are after you?”_

He seems concerned for me which surprises me.

_“Yes. My team has only been able to get a little info about whoever this is, but in our digging we saw some info that says they were connected to Alvin Pierce.”_

_“That could be a dead end.”_

_“That’s my decision to make. I can’t run the risk of them coming after me again. I have to be prepared for whoever is coming because I have too much to lose if they get a hold of me again. So I’ll take my chances with finding the work of Alvin Pierce. I can distract the people while you two get away.”_

_“Fine, but I’m telling you this will be a dead end for you.”_

He scoops up his daughter and disappears into the night, meanwhile I go back inside, grabbing a folder from his box and l left, helping Diana lift Berry around the corner to safety as emergency vehicles and police come swarming the area…

***Later***

Diana, Barry and I didn’t have to call Bruce because Superman landed in front of us with relief on his face.

_“I swear you like giving me a heart attack.”_

I roll my eyes as he takes Barry from us, slinging him over his shoulder and pulling a card and ID from somewhere on his suit and handing them to Diana.

_“Bruce sends his regards. He has a suite booked in the next town over. Also Victor may or may not have borrowed a car to get you there and it should be here…now.”_

A SUV pulls up without a driver and the doors unlock. I wave my hand and the door opens, Clark puts Barry in a seat and Diana climbs in on the other side. Clark gets in the driver’s seat and I get in the passenger.

***Hotel Roof***

_“Of course my girl finds a fight not even 20 minutes on the ground.”_

Clark and I are on the roof of the hotel, while Barry and Diana are downstairs in the suite. Victor had the car navigate us to the back, I changed Diana’s clothes so she could go get the keys to the room. She opened the balcony and let’s Clark in with Barry who came about five minutes into being on the plush couch. Now he was inhaling room service pasta with an ice pack while Diana took a shower. Clark and I sneak to the roof. Currently Clark had stepped up to me, his arms wrapped around my waist, as I looked up at him, he looked at me with a smirk right back.

_“Hey, well it’s not like I planned on it. This was supposed to be in and out, nothing messy like that.”_

_“I wanted to fly as soon as that lighting character tossed you through the wall. Bruce told me to trust you.”_

_“Glad he did. The last thing we needed was Superman coming to drag dude and dudette across the pavement.”_

_“For you, of course I’m gonna fight for you. I told you before you left I wasn’t letting you go without a fight. Not this time.”_

I let my arms go around his neck.

_“ Yes, but fighting my battles is a surefire way to ensure you don’t get any.”_

I say with a lilt in my voice and then tilting my head back in laughter. He laughs and he picks me up effortlessly, our faces close.

_“Oh really? You think I can just let you go again? Gia do you know how long I’ve been waiting to hold you in my arms like this?”_

I shake my head ‘no’

_**“You are the woman I’ve been waiting for my entire life. So yes I’m going to show up and fight your battles every time if that means I keep you here with me and my son.”** _

Somehow Clark always knows exactly what to say to me and it takes my breath away. It made me feel like I was nothing more than air. It had only been a few hours of everything being in the open but we clicked together like it had been a lifetime.

_“Alright…alright. I’ll let you step in SOMETIMES but this does not give you full carte Blanche to step into all my battles.”_

_“I know. I prefer you not rip me a new one.”_

With that we kiss again and he sits me back down on my feet.

_“Come on Superman. We’ve got a folder to go over before we leave Freeland.”_

_“I need to know more about this Alvin Pierce…”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/n: So how many of you pegged Freeland, Georgia from my last chapter as the home of Black Lighting? If you did good job! To all my readers you are all amazing and supportive and you rock. Thank you bunches and next chapter is in the works as soon!


	22. Freeland pt 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gia and Clark deal with the fallout of her showdown with Black Lighting...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/n: Hey world! OMG it has felt like forever since I posted anything because honestly I just having been myself lately and the writers block has been terrible. So I hope that this chapter finds everyone well!

_“So let’s see. Alvin’s murder is suspected to have been committed by a defamed city councilman by the name of Tobias Whales. Says here Whales are on the run from Prosecution.”_ **  
**

Diana says reading over the opened manilla folder, then putting it down on the table.

_“Okay but do they mention anything about a motive?”_

I ask, having changed everyone into normal clothes. I am now leaning over Diana’s shoulder and Clark is sitting in an armchair opposite us.

_“Says here it was suspected to keep him quiet about a series of articles he wrote about this gangster of a council member.”_ I begin to pace behind Diana’s chair trying to make sense of how his death would connect to me but I can’t.

_“But this doesn’t make sense. The experimentation done on us is clearly not his M.O. This Whales character is missing and would not have the pull to have a multi year long operation going. If he had the money, time and brains for what I was subjected to, I promise he wouldn’t have wasted him time killing a man then running. He would have fought the case, won, then owned the city by now. This couldn’t have been why Pierce was in those files.”_

 _“Was there anything else?”_ Clark asks.

_“No. It was nothing much.”_

_“Personal life.”_

_“Also nothing we didn’t know before. Worked for the local paper, no criminal record to speak of, except an arrest for a protest, but the charges didn’t stick. He was a widow that left behind one son, Jefferson Pierce. A now divorced, High School Principal with two daughters.”_

Says Victor over the hotel phone.

“ _You think he has got his dad’s old research?”_ Clark asks looking at the file for himself after Diana gave it to him.

_“The only way to know that is to go and ask him. I think Clark you should take Barry home, me and Diana will hang around for one more day.”_

Clark shoots me a look that says he is not happy.

_“There is also an old tailor in town by the name of Gambi. You might want to talk to him and see what he knows about the Pierce family. He basically helped raise Jefferson. If anyone knows anything about the article it’s going to be him.”_

_“Okay fine. We split up. Diana you go see Gambi and I go see Jefferson Pierce.”_

_“Gia can we go talk for a second?”_

I sigh, and stand up dusting invisible dirt off my pants. Clark follows me to one of the bedrooms in the two bedroom suite. As soon as the door closes Clark starts in on me.

_“Didn’t you promise Kalen you would see him in the morning?”_

_“I did but Clark, we are hella close to having our answers. I can’t leave now.”_

_“Gia do you understand what you are putting Kalen through? That whole week you were gone how Kalen cried for you? He didn’t understand why his mom left him. He hollered. You want him to wake up like that again?”_

It was a low blow Clark was pulling. He was pissed because he couldn’t stay with me and instead of him voicing that he was using the Kalen excuse.

_“Clark that was below the belt and you know it.”_

_“That man tosses you through a brick wall like you were a wrecking ball and had you not tossed your shield right now you would be broken. Possibly dead! I don’t want to explain to our son why mommy isn’t coming home!”_

I smack him before I can realize that I’ve done it. Clark immediately realizes how pissed I am. I feel bad for hitting him, because that was not the way to solve anything but I couldn’t back down yet.

_“Fuck you Clark! This isn’t about Kalen this is about you! I have thought about Kalen Joseph Smith since the day he was born! Every single thing I have done thus far has been for him! Shit you will NEVER have a clue about as his mother.”_

He is pissed too.

_“Really, because I think this is about you Gia! YOU ARE NOT ALONE ANYMORE!”_

_“ I KNOW that Clark.”_

_“I don’t think that you do! You have some underlying need to prove you can defeat these people. This is revenge for you and you know it!”_

_“YES! okay yes! This is about revenge okay!_ (This is where I begin to cry) _Do you have ANY idea what they put me through Clark? How badly I was tortured for YEARS! How many little girls and boys died because of whatever they were trying to do. I watched as people were dragged to their death. Sometimes I even heard them dying. I have almost died so many times I should hold a record. I have saved children from choking on their own vomit only to watch them come back the next day and die because they choked on their own blood in front of me.”_

I can feel how wet my face is and how sorry Clark is but it’s too late because the can of worms has been opened. I can’t put them back in now.

_“I’ll be damned if I go back! All those children gone, disappeared into unmarked graves and who knows what else they did with the bodies!”_

_The lights of the hotel flicker as energy gathers around me swirling, but while I am so upset it doesn’t matter much to me. Clark tries to touch me, but the red energy stings his finger tips._

_“Gia please calm down…”_

_“No! I am done calming down Clark! Yes I want my pound of flesh from those bastards! But you know what I’m thinking ahead to. Take a second and think about it. What if they found out I had a baby? I mean that is if they haven’t already. You think they won’t come after Kalen? At the end of day THAT is the child I am trying to save. I don’t even care if they take me back or if I die because I’ll give my freedom, my choices, my life to make sure they never get their hands on my baby. Not my son! T…t..they can’t….”_

I start hitting him on the chest, but it doesn’t do anything to the Superhero in front of me. It was mostly because I didn’t want to hurt him. I dissolve into tears as he pulls me into his arms, the gather energy. I can feel how much he loves and how sorry he is. I can’t hear his thoughts and that was because I didn’t want to anymore. I couldn’t handle any more emotional attacks at the moment and whether he meant to or not listening to anyone’s mind right now was a surefire way to set me off again. Through my tears I feel Clark pick me up and sit with me in an accent chair they have in the middle of the room. I curl into his chest and lap like I had done almost since I met him. Despite me being pissed at him, it was still the safest place I could be. He always felt like home to me.

He held me until I calmed down and pulled away. Standing to my feet, having thought over exactly what I needed to do.

_“Alright come on. I need to talk to Victor about tomorrow.”_

_“Gia we need to talk first…I am sorry. I am so sorry. I just…I can’t lose you again. I need you and the idea that I could lose you to a fight or to yourself. It is a nightmare…”_

“ _Myself? Last time I checked I punched myself once during a nightmare…”_

I semi-joked, but Clark was being serious.

_“I have seen revenge bring out the worst in people. It takes them over and that is all they can focus on. Eventually it ruins everything you worked hard for. The fight at the end of the day is against you. I refuse to let that happen to you.”_

Clark gets to his feet and despite the obvious height difference we are looking at each other in the eyes.

_“Do you trust me Clark?”_

_“With my life.”_ He says without hesitation.

_“Okay well then trust me with mine. I promise you I will never stop fighting to come home to you and Kalen.”_

He nods and kisses my forehead softly. I pulled away and took his hand in my own as we walked back out to the common area.

_“Alright, Diana do you think we can get Vic and Bruce back on the phone?”_

She hits redial and it connects almost instantly.

_“Did G and Clark get their stuff worked out yet? Or are they still going?”_

I laugh while Clark feels a little embarrassed and slightly affronted.

_“Yes we did work it out, Thanks for your concern Victor.”_

_“Damn…ummm… Hey Gia. I didn’t know you were on the phone…” Victor says and I knew that if I could see his face he would be looking guilty._

 _“No shit.”_ I say with a laugh and continue

_“It’s cool. Won’t be the first time won’t be the last. I called because I have a new plan as long as Bruce doesn’t mind.”_

_“Go ahead Gia. I’m listening.”_ The deep yet smooth voice of Victor comes on the line.

_“Oh hi Bruce! Good glad you are on too. It’s not so much of a change in plans as it is a delay. I need to come home, pull myself together, check on Tracy and most importantly I need to be near my son. I promised him I would see him tomorrow and that is way more important to me than anything else. Not breaking a promise to my child. We can come back in a day or so and talk to Jefferson and the Tailor.”_

_“Fine. I’ll send the private jet for you all in the morning. Take off from there at 9:00am.”_

_“Thank you Bruce Bruce.”_

I say and even though I know he won’t admit it out loud he enjoyed it because he didn’t correct me.

_“Great, thank you Bruce. See you in the morning.”_

Diana says with a small laugh at my pet name for him and ends the call, with a click of her slender finger, I turn to Clark and say

 _“Someone has work in the morning, also one of us has to be there when Kalen wakes up and only one of us can fly sooo…”_ I wave my hand and he is back in his suit.

_“Alright well I will see all of you tomorrow. No knock down, drag outs while I’m gone.”_

We all give non committal grumbles and Clark rolls his eyes, he pulls me close to him again and kisses me.

_“And you Ms. Smith better make sure you are on that plane or else I will come back to get you personally and I promise you will not like me if I do.”_

_“Is that a threat Mr. Kent?”_

_“It could be a threat or a challenge depending on how you look at it.”_

I shrugged.

“We shall see, now go. Love you.”

I thought about giving him a playful smack on the butt, but honestly I didn’t want to disrespect the suit like that.

He shakes his head back in front in disbelieving laughter.

“I love you too Gia.”

Clark floats into a hover before taking off…

_***The Next Day*** _

We landed back in Gotham in the late morning back at Wayne manor. I was immediately assaulted by my child, and he launches into my legs, each day seeming like he gets heavier and heavier although there were no outward changes. He was more than excited to see me, which was a surprise for me because Clark was the pick for him which meant that most of the time I am a non factor. Something I got a little jealous of at times but I was still grateful for their relationship. However it was the moments where I could pick him up and he pressed messy kisses to my cheek that I knew my place in his heart was cemented. I am more than happy breakfast was a while ago and Clark had made sure the kisses wouldn’t be sticky or messy from syrup or a pop tart.

Martha had been dropped back off at home prior to arrival back to the Manor, and Mrs. A was about two hours away from boarding the jet to California because it was still too dangerous for her to be here as much as I wanted her to stay. Once Kalen said his hellos to me he wanted to go play with Victor which was surprising to me because he hadn’t been so open to Victor before I left and it made me wonder how much I had missed from my son in the short time I was gone.

I questioned

_“How much did I want to miss?”_

Maybe Clark had a point. Had revenge taken over my mind, made me miss what was important? I was sitting outside trying to make sense of all these emotions I had swirling around.

_“Has anyone told you you think loud child?”_

I smile without turning around to face the voice I knew well. Ms. A came into my field of vision. I give her a faint smile but it doesn’t reach my eyes. She sits next to me and doesn’t say much for a while with us looking at the calmness of Bruce’s large outdoor pool.

_“So have you turned into a mute or should I alert Alfred something is wrong?”_

I finally look at her directly, rather than out of the corner of my eye. She is dressed in a purple velour tracksuit and her diva Afro wig that I had taken her to the beauty supply store to purchase a few weeks back.

_“Nothing is wrong…”_

_“Gia, despite pulling a fast one on me for a while, your feelings are a wide open book to anyone who knows how to read. Actually Clark must be illiterate because I don’t know how he missed your love for him.”_

_“Ha, well with everything going on I wonder if he still can.”_

_“If he still can what?”_

_“If he can still love me. I mean look at all of this mess, this drama I’ve dragged him into and now I’ve put him in a bad position having to fight whoever is after me…”_

_“STOP. Gia, I have known Clark for barely a month and I can tell you right now, that young man would jump through hoops of fire , whatever he had to, to be there for you and Kalen. I have never seen a young man so invested in his family that way he is with you two.”_

_“I don’t doubt Clark’s loyalty to us.”_ Ms. Alphonse laughs at me and it throws me off. She sits back in her chair further.

_“That’s not just Loyalty. That’s love. You are blind if you can’t see that.”_

_“Maybe that’s the point. Maybe I’m so messed up from everything that has happened to me, that I don’t know how to love.”_ I look down at my hands, fiddling around with my fingers.

_“You can stop thinking that too. I think you have more love than you know what to do with. You have let so many new people into your life without a single thought. You have given them time and chance to love you back. If someone didn’t know how to love, none of that would be possible. You need to be honest with yourself before you can ever be honest with Clark.”_

_“I know how to be honest Ms. A.”_

She looks at me with her lips pursed as if to say ‘mmmhhumm Yea right.’

_“Okkkkay. So maybe not completely honest, but what do you expect I’ve had walls up for years.”_

_“Yes but when is that not going to be an excuse? When will you start to let the walls down and let Clark love all of you.”_

_“Maybe when all of me isn’t held together with silly string and school glue.”_

She laughs under her breath while shaking her head, but says nothing.

_“How can I love him if I’m not whole? Clark doesn’t deserve someone this broken. I can’t even be honest with myself about why I want these people gone so bad.”_

_“ and Gia you don’t deserve to be alone. Did you ever think that maybe one of the reasons Clark ended up here was because he was meant to love you? I’m not saying the man is perfect. Nobody is Alien or not, but Gia sweetheart you have got to talk to him.”_

_“But I have, I just don’t know if he gets it…”_

_“No I meant really talk to him. Without all the yelling, the anger, the attitude I know you have and with your clothes on.”_

I burst out laughing and gave her a playful swat on the arm.

_“MS. A!”_

_“What you know it’s the truth. That strapping young man didn’t have you locked up stairs with him for over an hour for you to come back down glowing like a damn night light because y’all had the serious talk y’all need to have.”_

_“I…i”_

_“Gia you are making this way more complicated than it needs to be. Plus you are denying him and yourself of true love. Besides sitting out here moping about this will not make you feel better. Go talk to Clark before you do something simple again like run off with Kalen instead of talking about your feelings like a normal human being.”_

_“Being human is overrated.”_

_“Well sweetheart you haven’t much of a choice. Don’t start your relationship with hiding things from him.”_

I realize I have a few tears coming down my face as I realize this time she is truly going away and I won’t have the woman that has been so important in our lives, the one I have looked up to like a grandmother. She was going to be halfway across the country from me.

_“Did I ever tell you I am going to miss you so much?”_

“Only a few times. You hadn’t mentioned it today and I was starting to think you didn’t care.”

We both laugh and I help her to her feet after standing on my own. I don’t wait for an invite and hug her tightly…

***Later***

Watching Mrs. A drive off to the airport was a lot more heartbreaking than I had thought it would be. Kalen and I waved goodbye to her as she was driven through the large gates and away from the estate. I wiped the lingering tears from my eyes and actually Kalen helps me wipe one side and says

_“Mommy no crying.”_

I nod and go back inside of my purse and I pack Kalen up in one of Bruce’s cars that he said I could borrow. Before I drive to Metropolis I shoot Clark a text to let him know I was on my way. His response is not very enlightening, saying ‘okay see you soon’ and with the fragility of my nerves it freaks me out more than a simple okay should. When I pull into the parking structure at his job I looked over my outfit suddenly second guessing everything and now I didn’t even have Ms. A to fall back on.

I had on a t-shirt and a pair of jeans but all of a sudden that felt too casual. I wave my hand, changing into a yellow, pink, and lavender colored maxi dress, but I didn’t like that either so I waved my hand again, and changed into a white cap sleeved lace top with a beige underlay, all tucked into a black pencil skirt then paired it with nude colored heels. I let my hair down from the ponytail it had been tossed into before I left the house, and brushed it out so it was falling down to just beyond my shoulders. It was moments like these I was grateful for my abilities and after I looked over Kalen swiping away a few cracker crumbs from his navy dinosaur shirt and off his face, I pull his cute little baseball cap down over his curls just incase he got too excited while we were out and decided he wanted his hair a different color. I braced myself for hearing thoughts and having so many emotions in one place and then took Kalen’s hand to lead him inside the Daily Planet. As we walk up to the front desk I smile at the young woman who was in charge of the front desk. We exchange greetings and she is pleasant enough until I tell her who I was there to see. I almost laughed in her face as jealousy rolled off the blonde haired woman.

_***** who the fuck is she?! Clark is supposed to want to date me now that Lois Lame is out of the picture.” *****_

I roll my eyes closed and will myself not to say anything. I took the visitors’ pass from her and put one on myself and walked Kalen to the elevators which thankfully were empty. Once the doors shut I lean down to the little man because I can feel the anxiety roll off of him.

_“Alright baby, we are going to see your dad but you have to be on your best behavior here. That means inside voices and no running okay baby? Do you understand?”_

_“Yes mommy.”_

_“Okay.”_

The elevator doors open to a busy office floor with various cubicles and desks all over the place, with people moving around the room. Kalen grips my hand tighter and he is scared because this was a big crowd for him. I look around for Clark but don’t see him.

_“Ma’am I think you have the wrong floor.”_

I look and find a woman looking at me, her dark hair, pale features glaring at me and the thoughts in her brain were so rude I ought to smack her. I refrain and hit her with a smile.

_“Hello, I know I am not on the wrong floor. I am looking for Clark… Clark Kent.”_

She looks me over again, and sighs her brain clearly overworked.

_“His desk is around the corner, to your right.”_

_“Thank you.”_

She shrugs and walks away. I walk Kalen around the corner and stop in my tracks. Lois is laughing as freely as she did when they were together, standing way too close. She was actually pulling his tie, more so fixing it for him, but I don’t like it much. My anger causes the lights in the building to flicker unexpectedly which makes Clark look up. They immediately stop laughing and Kalen starts pulling at the grip on my hand and pulling to get away. Clark chooses to focus his attention on Kalen.

_“Well look who came to visit me!”_

I let Kalen’s hand go and he runs despite my previous instructions and Clark picks him up with both hands, even though he doesn’t need to, the excited like boy lands on his side. I walk over to them, forcing a smile on my face as I realize Clark’s coworkers are watching, half of them with their jaw drops

_“Wow Clark, you showed me photos but he is your twin.”_

Lois says and all her emotions read calm, and happy, and I don’t pick up on any deception from her nor Clark so it’s only my insecurities I needed to contend with.

_“Gia! You were supposed to be calling me for drinks. What happened?”_

“These two happened. Girl we are going to have to catch up.”

I go along with Lois’ story. She knew the drama involved people that didn’t believe her and Clark were not together.

_“Yes, I think the men are due for some father and children time, while we lose ourselves in a pitcher of margaritas.”_

You both laugh, while Clark has a frown on his face. You can feel the tension in the room dissolve as people realize Lois and I aren’t going to jump on each other over Clark. Most of the initial shock is from them learning he has a son.

_“Okay well as much as I would like to stay here and let you two ladies plan out when to meet up so you can talk about me. I think Gia promised to have lunch with me today and if little man’s stomach gets any louder I think they are going to call the national guard.”_

He tickles Kalen’s stomach and the giggles make me happy to see them interacting. I am even able to ignore the swooning and jealousy coming from folks in the office wishing that Clark had a child with them or was the father of their children.

If they had any clue the heartache it took to get to this moment, you could say at least half wouldn’t have even signed up.

He and I leave the office, and I catch the eye of the rude receptionist down in the lobby as we walk out, she fumes at seeing Kalen in Clark’s arms. I however get a kick out of it. This lasts as we find a little bistro to eat at, ordering some chicken tenders for Kalen and they have some activities sheets to keep him occupied while Clark and I talk.

_“Your text surprised me. I didn’t expect to see you before I came back to the manor.”_

_“Yes well I felt it would be good for us to get out of the house. Ms. Alphonse left today.”_

I can feel his sympathy.

_“I am sorry that she had to leave. She Is such a wonderful person and saved my life many times with Kalen. Are you okay? I know she means a lot to you.”_

_“I am going to miss her. I have relied on her for so long. She has been my rock, really my only family besides Kalen. I really didn’t want her to go.”_

I could feel my tears pooling up and Clark reached over, taking my hand in his own.

_“Well you should know you have me now as well.”_

_“I do. But Clark we’ve got to talk.”_

_“Okay.”_

_“ Clark, you deserve better than me.”_

He was terribly confused.

_“What do you mean?”_

_“ It took a conversation with Ms. A to realize. Baby, I’m broken. How can I expect you to stick around for that? All you’ll get from me is the pieces. That’s not fair.”_

Thick, dark eyebrows furrow as what I am saying to him computes and then he shakes his head, blue eyes staring me down.

_“Gia that’s just it. I want all of you. If that means you come in pieces. I want to be the one that helps you get put back together.”_

We were staring at each other, his eyes were boring into mine and he was without a doubt being sincere.

“ _But Clark I just don’t know, it’s a lot to ask if you.”_

“ _No it’s not. The woman that I love needs me. That woman is you. I know we went out of order with this whole thing but if you trust me like I trust you then we can work through this and stay a family.”_

He lifts my hand and kisses the top of it and his smile is wide. I wasn’t sure how he was always able to waylay my fears but we still needed to talk about one more thing.

_“Clark you know why I am doing this right?”_

_“You explained this already. I understand Gia, I really do.”_

_“Yes but I need to elaborate you see I hope we can work through this too because I love you. There is just one more thing to This…situation…I have to finish this. I’ve been thinking about this and why I wanted this so bad. You made a good point, I couldn’t get the idea of revenge out my head. I still can’t. I want them to burn for what they did, but I realized that this is for Kalen and you. I can’t let them hurt our baby, I can’t bear to think of what they would turn him into or worse if he couldn’t survive what they would do to him and that is before they figure out YOU are his father. And you, baby, I am afraid of dragging you into this because if nothing else has been proven, it’s that you are not infallible. You told me you couldn’t handle if I died, well I have lived through your death. I…can’t go through that again. I don’t want to be responsible for taking you away from our son.”_

I was so sick of crying, but it appeared my body wasn’t. My eyes were welling up at the corners.

_“You know this is one of the first times I’ve heard you refer to Kalen as our son, not just your son.”_

Clark says this with a jovial tone, and it makes me laugh.

_“Yeah well I guess you’ve earned the job title. Besides one look at him screams Clark Kent Jr. At some point I have to admit he didn’t get here via asexual reproduction.”_

_“I understand why you need to do this. Your determination, your fire, everything that make you, you is exactly the reason why you want those responsible for this. So Gia, I have an idea. Call me crazy but let’s do this together. I watch your back, you watch mine. And before you ask me, yes I promise to let you fight for yourself. I will only step in if needed.”_

_“Just think of it this way. They can blame some else for the destruction of the city.”_

**_*Later*_ **

Clark had gone back to work where I was almost positive he would be spending the rest of the day fielding questions about Kalen, he would have to blush and show off photos. I felt kinda bad that Lois would also have to go along with the story we had concocted to not only explain away Clark’s disappearance but that he came back with a son that should have theoretically been Lois’ since they were together.

The man lived a double life all day long so fooling a room full of people was nothing and I knew Lois could handle herself, but it still didn’t seem fair to her. As much as she didn’t want to admit it I felt that little ping of hurt I felt the second she saw Kalen. Her mind finally connecting to the feelings she had repressed about the situation.

She loved Clark and she loved me, she was happy about us being together, but Kalen gave her a splint second reminder of what her life could have been, what she had at one point knew was a surety. I knew she had no choice but to deal but still, her pain would always increase my guilt tenfold.

I packed up Kalen and took him home so that I could strategize with Diana about the plan for tomorrow when we went back to Freeland, but the minute I pulled up I felt two major sources of energy inside. Unsure of who it may be, I put Kalen in an invisible shield and walked through the front door.

Nobody was in the foyer, so I sprinted upstairs, putting Kalen down in his bed, then sealing his door and leaving him.

I went through the house until the sounds of laughter met my ears. I find the team all standing around a familiar figure.

_**“Arthur?!”** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: So yes I know a little angst heavy but necessary or at least I felt it was so that it is understood that the forces relationships battle don’t always come from the outside. Especially, for Clark and Gia they are going to need each other…


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